


The Greater Good?

by Dreamer1701



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Dark Arts, Difficult Decisions, Doing the Right Thing, Good and Evil, Hogwarts, M/M, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, The Deathly Hallows, for the greater good
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:48:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 72,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29183538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamer1701/pseuds/Dreamer1701
Summary: That's when it all escalated. Ariana began to cry and Albus walked towards them very fast. "No, you have to stop this!" But it wasn't possible anymore. They were fighting before he really knew what was happening. Suddenly, there was the sound of someone falling to the ground. Ariana screamed. And for the first time in his life, Gellert Grindelwald felt truly afraid. Albus x Gellert
Relationships: Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald
Comments: 13
Kudos: 38





	1. The Argument

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, this is my story 'The Greater Good?'. I've started this nearly two years ago and by now, it has 22 chapters. I've originally posted it on another platform and I won't stop updating it there, but I also wanted to give it a try here. It focuses on Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald and starts in their youth, some time after they first met. From there on, it follows the events concerning their search for the Deathly Hallows. But there is an important question. What is the Greater Good? Is it really a bad thing or could it also be turned into something good? Can Albus and Gellert see past their differences and find a path together? And what happens when they get feelings for each other? 
> 
> Please let me know if you want more chapters, then I'll post them here! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

“Why did you have to come here? Everything was alright before you showed up! And you destroyed it!”

Gellert looked at the angry boy in front of him. Aberforth had his wand raised and it was pointing at Gellert’s chest. He looked furious and Gellert knew that the boy would attack him when he said something that made him even more angry. For a second, he considered getting his wand as well, but he didn’t think that it was necessary yet. He was faster than Aberforth, he knew that.

“And what will you do about it?” He asked, his tone patronizing. He had never liked Albus’ brother, he used to stare at him with that dark look on his face every time Gellert was in the same room. He just tolerated it for Albus’ sake. Otherwise, he would never get close to the younger Dumbledore. Gellert grinned at Aberforth, who seemed to get more furious with every second he stood in front of him. “Will you attack me? You know that I’m a much better fighter than you’ll ever be. And what will Albus think when you attack his best friend?” That sentence made him pause. Best friend? Was he really Albus Dumbledores best friend? And why did it feel so strange to think that?

“One day, Albus will thank me for this. Maybe not immediately, he’s blinded by you. It’s like you’ve hexed him! You and your dreams of power and ruling over others. You’re crazy! But one day, he’ll see how mad you are and then he’ll understand that I did the right thing.” Aberforth said those things with a certainty that made Gellert raise his eyebrows.

“You think I’ve blinded your brother?” He asked and laughed. Then his tone became sharper. “Do you really think you know him that well? After everything I’ve heard, you’ve never been very close. He’s just here because he’s the oldest of you and has to take care of you and your sister.”

“He didn’t have to come back, I told him many times. We would be fine without him, but Albus is too stubborn to see that. He wants me to finish school, even if I don’t want to do it. I’d rather stay here with Ariana.”

Gellert crossed his arms. “And you think fighting me would make everything better?”

Aberforth nodded. “You’re not supposed to be here. You’ll destroy everything, I know it. You’re evil. You and your dark magic. And you’ll destroy my brother as well, he’s just too stupid to see it.”

Those words made the last bit of self-control Gellert had vanish. Before he knew what he was doing, his wand was in his hand and pointed at the boy in front of him. “Don’t talk about him like that! And don’t act as if you understand anything! Because you know nothing, just nothing!”

Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps coming from the house. They were getting closer fast. “What are you doing? Are you crazy?” At the sound of  _his_ voice, Gellert closed his eyes. He shouldn’t be here, not right now. He had seen many different futures and it never ended well, especially when he was there. 

Then there was another voice. “Why are they so angry, Albus?” It was Ariana. The poor, helpless girl. Why on earth had Albus taken her with him? But on the other hand, the girl did whatever she wanted…

“Everything’s alright, Ariana.” Albus said quietly, his tone soft.

“He’s right, Ari. You should go inside again.” To Gellert’s surprise, Aberforth supported his brother. On the other hand, he was always nice to Ariana and didn’t want her to get hurt.

“But…” The girl started again and Aberforth shook his head.

“You shouldn’t be here. He’s dangerous. Go inside, if not for your own sake then do it for me. Please, Ari.”

From the corner of his eyes, Gellert saw the uncertain look on her face. Albus was still standing in front of her, but he wasn’t looking at his sister. He was looking at him and Aberforth with a frown on his face. He looked tensed.

“Why should Gellert be dangerous? He’s always so nice.” Ariana muttered and it seemed as if Aberforth couldn’t stand this anymore.

“Because he’s a dark wizard and he would also kill people to fulfil his plans!”

That’s when it all escalated. Ariana began to cry and Albus walked towards them very fast. “No, you have to stop this!” But it wasn’t possible anymore. They were fighting before he really knew what was happening. Suddenly, there was the sound of someone falling to the ground. Ariana screamed. And for the first time in his life, Gellert Grindelwald felt truly afraid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that this chapter is very short, it's more like an introduction. The next ones will be longer!


	2. Waking Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter! Now we'll get to know more about what happened! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

It had all happened too fast. First, the argument between his brother and Gellert. He hadn’t noticed at first that the two of them had left the house. Otherwise, Albus would have gone with them immediately to prevent a fight. However, he was too occupied with Ariana and didn’t notice them leaving.

He wanted to talk to them, make them stop those stupid things they were doing. It was complicated when your brother didn’t like the person that was most important to you. But then Ariana had followed him outside – another thing he hadn’t noticed. And it all escalated. Aberforth had accused Gellert of being a dark wizard and he said that his friend would even  _kill_ people when it was necessary. Of course Gellert didn’t let his younger brother say those things. Albus knew his friend very well – and his temperament. His mood used to change very fast, a single word could make him angry, even if he seemed happy before. 

However, there was something else about Aberforths words that made Albus hesitate for a second. He said that Gellert would kill people, that he wouldn’t hesitate. What made him think that? All their plans for the greater good didn’t involve killing, did they? Or was he mistaken and Gellert saw all those things completely different as he did himself? There had been a strange feeling in his stomach.

When Albus noticed the furious expression on Gellerts face, he stopped thinking about it. Gellert was his best friend and he meant so much to him. He couldn’t let Aberforth hurt him or vice versa. So when they started to throw curses at each other, Albus stepped between them as fast as possible. There was no time to draw his wand and he knew that it was stupid what he was doing. But the only thought that crossed his mind in that moment was that he would rather die than let those two hurt each other.

Then everything went black.

* * *

He had strange dreams; those dreams that made him wonder if he was dead.

He saw many different scenes in front of him. He remembered some of them, but others were completely new. There were his parents, many years ago when they were still young. His mother was talking to Ariana, they were in the kitchen. Albus didn’t know what she was saying, but his sister laughed. And even his father, who entered the room had to smile. Aberforth looked happy as well and whispered something into Albus’ ear that made him laugh. They looked like a family.

Then the scene shifted and Albus saw another version of himself. He was at Hogwarts, studying. Suddenly, he noticed that Elphias Doge was sitting next to him. That’s when Albus realised that they weren’t studying. They were making plans for their journey around the world. It was their last year at Hogwarts.

Then he was at Godric’s Hollow again. He knew that moment too well, he had thought about it many times in the past weeks. A handsome young man with blond locks and blue eyes was standing in front of him, smiling widely. He held out his hand and Albus took it. “Gellert Grindelwald.” He introduced himself and Albus liked the sound of his voice. “Albus. Albus Dumbledore.” He replied when they shook hands. When they let go of each other, they stood there for a few moments, both looking at their hands. Gellert frowned and Albus wondered if he had felt the spark between them as well. But then Gellert smiled again as if nothing had happened and asked him if he could show him around the town. Albus agreed immediately.

After that, he saw parts of his conversations with Gellert. Talking about the Hallows and the greater good (Gellert liked the way Albus called it very much, so they used the term all the time now). They had many ideas and Albus really thought that they could make the world a better place. And Gellert seemed to agree with him and his plans.

Before he could think about that any longer, the scene shifted again. And now Albus didn’t recognize it. He saw a castle. It was very big and beautiful. However, Albus didn’t know where it was standing. After looking at it for some time, he noticed that there were words above the entrance. ‘ _For the Greater Good_ ’. But what did it mean? Where was this castle and even more important, who owned it? Albus had an idea of who made this, but he couldn’t follow the thought because the things he saw changed again. 

It was a dark night and it was raining. He couldn’t see much of his surroundings, but there were a few small houses which looked like they had been built ages ago. Suddenly, there was a person walking towards him. Albus took a step back, afraid that he might be seen. But the person walked past him as if he wasn’t there at all. Which he wasn’t, obviously. It took him a moment to realize that an older version of himself had just crossed his path. He followed him quickly and saw himself walking towards one of the houses. It stood apart from the others and the older Albus walked in without knocking. Inside, it was dark. There was a small fireplace, but the fire couldn’t light up the entire room. The older Dumbledore took out his wand and waved it through the air. The tip of his wand began to glow and now Albus could see the room around him better. There weren’t many things here. A few clothes were lying on the floor and on the table he saw pieces of bread and a cup filled with a dark liquid. The older Dumbledore (he couldn’t tell how old he was, but he had a beard and wrinkles around his eyes) didn’t look around the room. He was walking towards the bed slowly, a carefree expression on his face. “Good evening, Gel. It’s good to see you again.” When he started to speak, Albus noticed the figure in the corner of the room, right next to the bed. There stood a man, he was very thin and his clothes were torn. His arms were crossed and when the older Dumbledore waved his wand and the light began to hover above the table in the middle of the room, he could see who it was. And the sight nearly made his heart stop. Because this was Gellert. And at the same time, it wasn’t the Gellert he knew. He looked bad and was paler than ever. His blond hair was dirty and cut short and even if there was enough light in the room, Albus couldn’t see his eyes. He looked older and more than that, he looked  _tired_ . As if he had to go through many problems in the past years. But what was this scene? Why weren’t they together and both looked like their life had been too difficult and painful?

“Why are you here, Albus?” Gellert asked slowly, not moving from where he was standing. Albus noticed that he didn’t have his wand in his hands. It was lying on the bed.

“I wanted to see you.” The older Dumbledore replied calmly. At those words, Gellert laughed. But it wasn’t an amused laugh, it had this bitter tone in it. The same tone that was in his voice as well.

“You wanted to see me? Really, Albus? After everything that happened?” Gellert’s voice was sharp, but also curious. He raised his eyebrows at the older version of Albus.

The older Dumbledore nodded. “Of course.”

“Even after all our disagreements. When I noticed that you were here, I considered getting ready to fight. Because that’s what they asked you to do, isn’t it? To kill me because you’re the only one who’s able to do it.”

“I told you that I would never move against you.” Dumbledore replied softly, his voice still calm. He didn’t seem to be impressed by the hate in Gellert’s tone.

“Then why are you here?” Gellert demanded to know.

Albus walked towards him slowly and let his wand disappear in his pocket. “I wanted to see you. Is that such a bad thing?”

Gellert still didn’t seem to be convinced. “After everything that I’ve done? I’ve killed many people Albus, you know that. I started a war. Because of our ideas. The ones you didn’t want to realise. Because you were afraid.”

The older Dumbledore swallowed. “Let’s not talk about this. It doesn’t matter. I swore that I’d never move against you. I didn’t. Why can’t those things stay in the past?”

For the first time, the expression on Gellert’s face softened. “Albus…” He whispered.

Than the scene in front of him disappeared.

* * *

It hurt. His entire body was aching and Albus didn’t know where he was. He couldn’t be dead. Then nothing would hurt, wouldn’t it? He tried to move his body and was surprised when it worked. Everything around him felt soft. Was he lying in a bed? He wanted to open his eyes, but he couldn’t do it. So he decided to just lie there for some time. He listened to his surroundings and noticed that there was the sound of breathing close to him. So someone was in the same room. But who could that be? And more important, what happened? Were his siblings alright? And what about Gellert? Albus’ heart began to beat faster. He had to know what happened.

He tried to open his eyes again and was surprised that it worked. The light in the room blinded him, but after a few moments he realized that he seemed to be in a hospital. He knew this kind of rooms. Was he at St. Mungo’s? He moved his head a little to see who was sitting next to him. What he saw there surprised him.

Gellert Grindelwald was sitting on a chair next to the bed. He was watching Albus intensely, a look in his blue eyes that he couldn’t quite interpret. His whole posture was tensed and Gellert had dark rings under his eyes. It looked like he hadn’t slept for days. And to Albus’ surprise, his lip was split, just like someone had hit him in the face.

They looked into each other’s eyes for a few moments – Albus couldn’t tell for how long – when Gellert relaxed. A small smile appeared on his lips, however it didn’t reach his eyes. “Albus, you’re awake.” He whispered and Albus tried to smile at him. It was harder than he thought.

“What happened?” It sounded more like a cough than actual words and Albus cleared his throat.

When he heard Albus’ voice Gellert tensed again. He frowned and Albus recognized the look on his face – Gellert looked worried. “How are you feeling?” He asked instead of answering Albus’ question.

Albus closed his eyes again. He was tired and everything was hurting, but he didn’t want to worry his friend. “I’m fine.” He muttered and hoped that Gellert would just accept his lie. Of course he didn’t.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw the anger on his friend’s face. There was this hardness in Gellert’s eyes that only appeared when he was furious. “Don’t lie to me, Albus!” He said, his tone sharp. “I know that you aren’t fine. You look terrible. And for days, the healers weren’t even sure that you would wake up again! We thought you were  _dead_ ! So tell me everything, but not that you’re  _fine_ .” He spat the last word at Albus and crossed his arms – a gesture Gellert always did when he wanted to distance himself from things confronting him. 

It took Albus a moment to realize what he just said. “I was… You thought that I was… I’ve been asleep for  _days_ ?” He looked at Gellert with wide eyes.

Gellert stared at him for a few more seconds before he sighed. For the first time since Albus was awake he leaned back in his chair. “You completely stupid idiot.” He muttered. “Why did you have to stand between us, in the middle of a fight and without a wand? Have you any idea what could have happened to you?”

Albus wanted to change his position so that he didn’t have to look up at Gellert anymore, but the pain got even worse as he tried to move. He groaned and gave up. Gellert didn’t say anything to his effort to sit up, he just raised his eyebrows. “I couldn’t let you hurt each other.” Albus explained.

His words didn’t seem to satisfy Gellert, since he just shook his head in disbelief. “Really, Albus? Don’t you think that I could have defended myself?”

“Oh I’m pretty sure that you could have done that.” He said immediately. “I was juts worried about what could have happened. I didn’t want you to hurt my brother.”

“And what if he would have hurt me?” Gellert asked, a challenging tone in his voice.

“We both know that you’re a very skilled fighter. But I wouldn’t have forgiven you. Both of you, if something would have happened to the other one. Aberforth is my brother, I can’t let anything happen to him. And you mean very much to me, Gellert. I don’t want you to get hurt as well.”

At his words, the strange expression on Gellert’s face returned. There was something that Albus didn’t understand. Why was his friend looking to troubled?

When Gellert didn’t say anything, Albus asked a question that had been on his mind since he woke up. “Where are the others? Are Aberforth and Ariana alright?”

Gellert nodded slowly. “They’re at home, if that’s what you want to know. And no one’s been hurt. When you fell to the ground Ariana freaked out, but luckily your brother was able to calm her down before something bad happened.”

Albus nodded, relieve flashing through him. “Thank you.” He whispered and Gellert laughed dryly.

“Why are you thanking me?”

“For letting me know that they’re alright.”

Gellert leaned forward again. “I was more worried for you in that moment. I didn’t really pay attention to your siblings.” Somehow, Gellert looked restless.

“Who did it to you? Your lip.” Albus explained when Gellert looked at him confused. He already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it either way.

“Your little brother. As soon as Ariana was gone, he attacked me.” Gellert shrugged and to Albus’ surprise he really looked like he didn’t care. Normally, his friend would be furious when someone did this to him.

“And how did I get here?”

“As soon as I realised that you weren’t dead I disapparated and took you here.” Gellert explained shortly.

“What happened to me?” Slowly, his head started to hurt as well.

“Are you alright?” Apparently, Gellert had noticed the pained look on his face Albus tried to hide as good as possible. He should have known that he would see it, he had never been able to hide something from his friend.

“I’m fine. And now tell me what happened? I’ve been hit by a curse, I know that. But which one?” _And who cast it?_ He didn’t dare to ask that question. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to know that. 

“Should I get a healer? Maybe they can help you with the pain.” Gellert still didn’t answer his question and slowly, Albus began to feel uneasy. His friend was acting strange, something wasn’t right.

“Gel, what’s going on?” He asked softly and hoped that he would tell him the truth.

Suddenly, Gellert stood up and the chair fell to the ground with a loud bang that echoed through the room. “I think it was me, if that’s what you want to hear!” Gellert said loudly and the sudden change in his tone made Albus flinch. “When you stood between us, I couldn’t stop myself anymore. I had already cast the spell. And apparently, your brother had done it too. They both hit you, but it was mine who brought you here! Are you happy now that you know that? That I’ve nearly killed you, Albus? Your brother was right, after all. I am a bad person. And maybe I am evil, who knows? I didn’t think for a second that you could stand between us. If I would, then I would have never used this spell. I didn’t want this to happen…” He walked through the room restlessly and Albus realized that this was the reason why his friend had been acting strange. He thought that he had nearly killed him.

“Gellert…” He began, but it didn’t seem as if he heard him. He was still walking through the room, muttering things to himself that Albus didn’t understand.

“Gellert!” He said, louder this time. The young man in front of him stopped and looked at him silently for a few moments. Then he walked towards the chair slowly and lifted it up again. When he sat down this time, the tensed posture was gone. He looked tired and insecure. “Gellert…” Albus began hesitantly. “Were you here all this time?”

Slowly, Gellert looked at him and nodded. “You’ve been asleep for eight days by now.”

“Have you even slept in all this time?” According to the dark rings under his eyes, Gellert didn’t sleep. And his friend shook his head. Albus sighed.

“I’ve been thinking very much…” Gellert began. “And I don’t think that this will work, Albus. I’m sorry. But your brother was right. We don’t see things the same way. You’re just so _good_ and I’m not and… I fear that I might be a bad influence on you.” He ran a hand through his hair and turned his head away so that he didn’t look at Albus anymore.

Albus’ heart seemed to stop and he breathed in deeply. This wasn’t happening, was it? “What do you want to tell me, Gellert?” he asked and his voice was shaking. Was he really saying that he was leaving without him? After everything they’ve planned together. Was it possible that the person Albus cared about most was going to leave his life forever?

Suddenly, Gellert turned to him again and his expression had changed. There was this hard look in his eyes again. “I think it’s the best for all of us if I leave as soon as possible.”

“Gel…” Albus began, but he wasn’t sure what he should say. He wanted to tell him so many things. That he shouldn’t leave. He was sure they could work this out together. That he wanted him to stay. That ne _needed_ him to stay. Because what would he do when Gellert was gone? How could he go on? When they first met, Albus had been impressed by Gellert and it had only taken a few conversations with him before he knew that he liked him very much. Maybe even too much because he wasn’t sure if Gellert liked him as well. Or in the same way. They didn’t know each other for a long time, but Albus always had the feeling that Gellert knew him better than anyone else. And that he understood Gellert as well. Of course he knew that they saw many things in a different way, even if the idea they had was the same. But they could work it out together, if they just tried. _I won’t get a chance anymore when he leaves now._ Albus thought. _We won’t get a chance._

“Please, don’t do this.” He pleaded and for half a second, he thought that he saw insecurity on Gellert’s face. However, it vanished so soon that Albus wasn’t sure if he just imagined it.

“You know that it won’t work, Albus.” Gellert said slowly. “We’re just too different.”

“We can figure it out. Together, if you just give us a chance to do it.” Albus tried again, but Gellert shook his head.

“I don’t think that it’s that easy. And it’s better if I leave now, that makes it easier for both of us. I just wanted to wait until you woke up and make sure you’re alright.” And then Gellert stood up. He looked down at Albus and suddenly, he was sure that Gellert was looking sad. “You’re a brilliant person, Albus. And I’m sure that you can do many good things in this world. Just don’t give up on your dreams. And goodbye.” With those words, he turned around to leave. He didn’t even wait for an answer.

Albus was still feeling tired. His body was hurting and he had a very bad headache as well. His heart was racing in his chest and he felt like he was going to die in this moment. We would have liked to call after his friend, to tell him not to leave. He even felt like he would start to cry at any moment. However, he forced himself to stay strong. And at the same time, he gathered all his strength to do something very stupid. He knew that it probably wasn’t a good idea, but with everything that was left to him he sat up in bed, reached forward and grabbed Gellerts wrist as hard as he could. As soon as he moved, everything around him began to turn and it wasn’t easy to stay conscious.

Gellert gasped in shock and spun around, his eyes wide. He paled when he saw Albus and tried to loosen the hold he had on his wrist. However, Albus refused to let go.

“Please, don’t go.” He muttered and Albus began to sweat from the effort of staying in this position.

“What are you doing?” Gellert asked in a sharp tone. “You should rest!”

“I won’t let you leave like this.” Albus said strictly and looked at his friend with a serious expression on his face.

“Albus, I have to go.” Gellert said urgently and tried to get away from him again. Albus tightened his grip around Gellert’s wrist and he was surprised that he could hold his friend back. Or he just wasn’t trying hard enough to leave.

“Gel, we can work this out. But _please_ don’t leave me. You aren’t a bad person. Don’t believe what Aberforth says. I know that you’re good. And running away now won’t make anything better. We can talk about everything, also about the things we don’t see the same way. I don’t know what I should do without you. I already told you that you’re important to me. And I hope that you don’t want to leave as well. Because…” Suddenly, the thought that Gellert simply didn’t want to stay with him anymore crossed his mind. What if he would have gone either way? What if he needed a change in his life and what he had right now wasn’t enough? “If you really want to leave, I can’t stop you.” The last words weren’t more than a whisper and Albus froze in his position. There was this pain in his stomach now and he knew that it wasn’t caused by his injuries. 

They looked into each other’s eyes for a few moments and Albus was sure that Gellert would say that it wasn’t enough. That he wanted to leave and find someone who would help him with his plans, without all the doubts Albus had.

“Alright.” First, he thought that he had heard something wrong. Albus eyes widened and Gellert laughed nervously at the confused expression on his face. “I’ll stay. But please lie down again, Albus. You look like you’re going to pass out every moment. And I’ll still be there when you wake up, I promise.”


	3. The Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

When Albus woke up again, the first thing he did was to look to the left. He had to make sure that he hadn’t been dreaming. And to his surprise, there still was someone sitting on the chair next to his bed. But this time, the person wasn’t looking at him.

Gellert was asleep and from the way he was lying there motionless, Albus knew that he really needed it. The chair looked different than the first time he had woken up – Gellert must have transformed it into something more comfortable. Albus looked at the features of his friend for some time and couldn’t stop himself from smiling. He looked peaceful and relaxed. And somehow, his expression looked happy.

A warm feeling appeared in Albus’ stomach. Gellert was still there, he had stayed! He wondered how he managed to convince him, but it didn’t matter right now.  _He’s here, that’s all that matters._ After some time, Albus realized that he was still smiling at his friend. What would he think if he woke up now? 

He began to feel uncomfortable and tried to change his position. His body was still hurting – maybe because he had been stupid enough to sit up and get hold of Gellert’s wrist for too long – and it wasn’t easy to move. He groaned when the pain started to get worse.

There was a movement next to him and before he knew what was happening, Gellert was standing next to his bed, looking down at him. There was this strange expression on his face again which Albus recognized as worry now. “Albus, you’re awake again.” Gellert said and Albus smiled weakly.

“I thought you were asleep.” He said slowly.

At that, Gellert laughed. “I was. But you can’t really believe that I would miss it when you wake up again.” He frowned at him. “Are you in pain? I’ll get a healer.” And without waiting for his answer, Gellert left the room.

After a few minutes, he came back with a tall, dark haired woman by his side. She introduced herself as Anne Brown.  _A strange name for a witch_ , Albus had thought. She asked Gellert to leave the room – which he reluctantly did – and began to look over his injuries. There weren’t many ones that could be seen, just a few bruises. All the other injuries had been caused by magic and even the healers weren’t sure what really happened to him. Mostly because Gellert had refused to tell them about the events which brought him here. She asked him what happened as well, but he just shrugged and told her that he couldn’t remember it. The suspicious look on Mrs. Browns face told him that she didn’t believe his lie. However, she didn’t ask more questions about it. 

“We thought that you would never wake up.” She said when she gave him a potion against the pain. “Your friend was very desperate when you came here. His mood changed from angry to worried and then again to angry in seconds. He refused to leave this room for days. I don’t think that he even slept while he was waiting for you to wake up.”

Albus didn’t know what to say so he just stayed silent. He had seen the look on Gellert’s face, but he couldn’t have been that worried, could he? His friend was always so calm, even in situations were others would freak out. He was a very strong person. So why should he be this worried about Albus? Especially when he had fought with his brother and knew that someone might get hurt.

As soon as the healer left, Gellert entered the room again. Albus noticed that he was wearing something different and wondered how he had managed to change so fast. “Are you feeling better now?” Gellert asked and sat down again. There was this tension in his shoulders and Albus began to worry. What if he was still going to leave and just promised to stay while Albus was in the hospital?

When Albus didn’t reply, Gellert narrowed his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Albus still didn’t answer him, he was lost in thoughts. His friend wouldn’t leave him, he tried to tell himself. However, the doubts didn’t vanish.

“Albus.” Gellert’s voice took him back to reality and he noticed that his friend looked frustrated. “What’s going on? You must talk to me, you know? I can’t read minds.” He smiled slightly, though it didn’t reach his eyes. He was still frowning at Albus.

He sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s just…” He hesitated, not sure if he could tell Gellert the truth about his doubts. Sometimes, he got angry very fast.

“You’re afraid that I am going to leave you.” Gellert said calmly and Albus raised his eyebrows. He knew that he must look very surprised. Gellert let out a loud laugh. “Oh come on, Albus! It’s never been difficult to guess what you’re thinking. You can’t hide your emotions very well form me.”

Gellert looked at him for some time, before he leaned back in his chair. He crossed his arms. “I promised you that I’ll stay.” He said simply.

“You promised that you’d still be here when I wake up.” Albus corrected him, his doubts coming back. “You kept that promise. You didn’t say that you’d stay after that.”

Now Gellert’s expression changed to an offended one. “Albus Dumbledore.” He began seriously. “Do you really think that I could just leave you like that? After everything that you told me?”

Albus wanted to shrug his shoulders, but he stopped himself in the last moment. “I’m still don’t sure if that’s what you want. Staying with me. With us. You know that my family will be there as well. And since you don’t like Aberforth very much… And we still have to figure out so many things because it looks like we don’t see everything in the same way-“

“And would that be a problem?” Gellert interrupted him, his tone curious. “That we have to talk about our differences?” He explained when he saw the confused look on Albus’ face.

“I already told you that we can figure it out together. There has to be a path that works for both of us.” Albus said seriously.

Slowly, the hard look on Gellert’s face vanished again. He nodded thoughtfully. “That’s good to hear. And if it makes you feel better and erases those stupid thoughts of yours, I’ll say it again. I’ll stay with you, Albus. As long as you want me by your side.” He leaned forward again. “I’ve never told you this and I’m not sure if this is a good idea, but you mean a lot to me as well. And I don’t want to leave.”

The strange feeling in Albus’ stomach was back. For some time, he just stared at the young man in front of him. Slowly, a cheeky grin appeared on Gellert’s lips and that’s all it took for Albus to grin as well.

“You really mean that?” He muttered and blushed when Gellert laughed loudly.

“I will stay by your side as long as you want me, I promise.” Gellert replied seriously and his eyes were shining. “And now stop asking before I’ll think about it again and might hex you!”

The moment those words were spoken, Gellert’s eyes widened and he paled. Albus realized the mistake immediately. “It wasn’t your fault, Gel.” He said softly, but Gellert shook his head.

“It was, Albus.” He whispered and Albus thought that there was a pained tone in his voice.

“I don’t want you to blame yourself for what happened.” Albus said seriously. “I knew what I was doing when I stepped between you. I knew the risks. And I had accepted the fact that I might not make it.” At those words, Gellert shook his head violently.

“Don’t-“ he muttered, but Albus continued without listening to his protests.

“And it wasn’t just your fault. Aberforth was playing with fire when he challenged you. And it was my fault as well because I wasn’t there to stop you right from the beginning.”

“When someone was completely innocent in this whole story it was you, Albus!” Gellert said sharply.

He shook his head. “I knew that you didn’t like each other. You can’t say that I didn’t know the risks of you being in the same house.”

“But it doesn’t mean that you can’t leave us alone.” Gellert protested. “We’re both old enough to take the responsibility for our actions.”

Albus sighed. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

They were silent for some time and Albus thought about the events again. What happened after he passed out? He looked at Gellert and was about to ask him when he noticed the look on his friends’ face. He was looking at Albus with an expression on his face Albus couldn’t interpret. This time, it didn’t seem to be worried. But there was something else. Something he couldn’t quite name.

“What are you thinking?” Gellert asked quietly and Albus swallowed. Should he really ask him?

“I wondered if Ariana and Aberforth are alright.” He said instead and Gellert nodded.

“Yesterday, an owl arrived. It was a letter from Aberforth. He said that everything is fine and asked if you had woken up yet. Ariana is still very upset and hopes that you’ll get better soon. The letter arrived before you woke up so I couldn’t tell them any news.” An apologetic look appeared on his face, something Albus had never seen before. “I didn’t think about informing them that you’re awake, I’m afraid.”

Albus smiled at Gellert. “It’s alright, we can write them later. You were too tired when I woke up, you needed the sleep.”

Suddenly, Gellert narrowed his eyes. “And what do you wanted to ask me before you changed the subject?”

Albus raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“Before you asked for your siblings. You had this absent-minded look on your face and I know that you’ve been thinking about something. But you didn’t tell me when I asked.”

He sighed, an amused grin on his face. “Is there something you don’t notice, Gellert?” He joked but became serious again. “I’m not sure-“

“Just spit it out.” Gellert said immediately, even if his tone wasn’t unfriendly. More impatient.

“What happened when I lost consciousness?” Albus asked without further hesitation.

As he expected, Gellert hesitated and the uneasy look on his face appeared again. “Do you really need to know that, Albus?” He asked slowly. “Isn’t it enough to know that everything is alright again?”

Albus hesitated and looked at Gellert’s split lip. He really wanted to know what happened, but should he torture his friend by letting him tell the story? When Gellert told him that his curse was responsible for Albus’ stay in the hospital, there had been this pained look on his face – something Albus had never seen before. Slowly, Albus shook his head. “Let’s talk about something else.” He said slowly and Gellert looked relieved.

“I’ll tell you some day, I promise.” Gellert said and Albus nodded.

“I’ll remember that.”

* * *

The following days, Albus had to stay at St. Mungo’s. The healers wanted to see if the curses that hit him had done any damage to his body. However, Albus began to feel better every day and his strength returned fast. After three days, he was able to stand up again. Walking was still exhausting, but he made much progress. It seemed as if nothing bad had happened to him.

In all this time, Gellert only left his room when it was necessary. After Albus had woken up for the second time, they had written a short letter to Aberforth and Ariana, telling them that he was awake and everything was fine. They spent most of their time talking about different things. During their time at Godric’s Hollow, they had been so consumed with the Hallows and their ideas for the greater good that they didn’t talk about anything else. Now they used the time to catch up. They didn’t talk about Hallows or their plans. Instead, Albus told Gellert about his time at Hogwarts. Gellert, on the other hand, told Albus much about his time at school and he even told him more about why he’d been expelled.

One week after Albus had woken up for the first time, the healers told him that he could leave St. Mungo’s.

They were standing at the reception desk of the hospital. In the past week, Gellert had made a short trip to Godric’s Hollow to get himself and Albus some clothes. He had brought Albus a dark blue shirt he had found somewhere in his wardrobe. Albus didn’t even know that he owned it until now and he still wondered why Gellert had chosen it. They were waiting for about ten minutes when Anne Brown walked towards them. She was smiling and when she looked at Albus, she nodded. “You look much better, Mr. Dumbledore. And this colour suits you, it emphasizes your blue eyes.” Albus blushed and turned away from her quickly. When he glanced at Gellert next to him, his friend was grinning and nodded. Albus smiled shyly and turned to the healer again, who had already started to explain that Albus shouldn’t strain himself too much in the next time.  _So that’s why he chose this shirt…_ Albus thought when they had left the hospital and took each other’s hand to disapparate. 

* * *

As soon as they appeared in Godric’s Hollow, Gellert let go of Albus’ hand. He glanced at his friend and started to feel disappointed. Gellert didn’t seem to notice it since he was already walking towards the house of the Dumbledores, Albus’ bag still in his hands.

When they got closer to the house, he noticed the two figures standing in front of it. Aberforth had his arm wrapped around Ariana’s shoulder and she was jumping form one foot to another impatiently.

“Albus!” She called and ran towards him, not caring about Aberforth who told her to be careful. Albus held out his hands and Ariana hugged him tightly, her face hidden at Albus’ chest. At her tight grip around him, Albus had to hold back a groan. “You’re back.” She muttered against his shirt and he smiled, stroking her back softly.

“Of course I’m back. I couldn’t let the two of you alone.” Albus replied and looked over her head at Gellert, who was still standing next to them. The concerned look on his face told Albus that he had noticed his pained gasp. There was nothing Gellert didn’t notice.

“I was scared.” Ariana whispered now and looked up at him. “We all thought you were dead. And then Aberforth started to hit Gellert and they were shouting at each other. Then Gellert just disappeared with you and we were alone, not knowing what was going on…” His sister looked like she was going to cry and Albus hugged her tightly.

“I’m fine. Nothing happened and something like that won’t happen again, I promise.”

“You shouldn’t promise things you can’t keep, brother.” A voice close to his ear whispered and he turned around to see Aberforth standing next to him, a dark look on his face. Albus noticed that he was focusing on Gellert.

“It won’t happen again.” Albus said sternly and narrowed his eyes at his brother. They were still whispering, afraid that Ariana might hear them. Slowly, his sister let go of him and took a step back. She turned to Gellert.

“Thank you for staying with him, Gel.”

Gellert smiled at her – the brilliant smile Albus loved to see – and nodded. “Don’t thank me for that.”

“Will you come home with us? We’ve already prepared dinner.”

At that, Gellert’s eyes stayed on Aberforth for a few seconds whose expression had become even darker. He turned to Ariana again. “Thank you very much, but I think I should go home as well. I haven’t seen my aunt in all this time and I want to keep her company. But I’m sure that we’ll see each other again soon.” Gellert said politely and next to Albus, Aberforth relaxed again.

“Why don’t you already go inside? I’ll just say goodbye to Gellert and then I’ll follow you.” Albus suggested and before he knew what was happening, Aberforth had wrapped his arm around Ariana and they started to walk towards their house. Ariana waved at Gellert, who bowed his head. Then they were alone.

“You don’t have to stay away from us.” Albus said immediately, but Gellert shook his head.

“It’s better if you’re alone this evening.” He insisted. “I don’t want to cause any more trouble.”

“Gel-“ Albus began and he shook his head.

“We can see each other any time, Albus. But I don’t want to stand between you and your family.” He handed him his bag. “And don’t worry, I won’t run away. After all, I made a promise.” He grinned at Albus and with one last look into his eyes, Gellert turned around and left.

* * *

During dinner, Ariana asked him many questions about his time at the hospital. She was sad that she couldn’t visit him, but he told her that it had been completely boring. That made her feel a little better again. He didn’t tell them anything about his conversations with Gellert, they didn’t have to know about that. Instead, Albus asked them about their time at home.

Ariana had taken care of the goats with Aberforth and her eyes were shining when she told him about it. And a cat had appeared in their garden and visited them every day. Albus asked many questions about the cat, how she looked and what she did. Ariana seemed to be happy about his interest in those things and Albus felt guilty for neglecting his siblings for so long.

After dinner, Ariana went into the garden to see if the cat was still there. Albus and Aberforth stood by the window in silence for a long time.

“You’re going to see Grindelwald again, right?” Aberforth asked hesitantly and without looking at him, Albus nodded.

“Albus…” Aberforth breathed in deeply. “He’s not good for you.”

Slowly, he turned around to look at his brother. “You said that many times by now. And I understand why you are concerned.” His words seemed to take Aberforth by surprise. He stared at him wide-eyed.

“You do?”

Albus nodded. “Gellert sees a few things different than I do, that’s right.” He said simply. “But it doesn’t mean that I have to stop seeing him. I’m sure that we can talk about those things and figure it out.”

Aberforth frowned. “You still want to meet him. Albus… You know that you can’t change someone like him.”

Albus crossed his arms, a gesture he had taken over form Gellert. “And what does this mean? Someone like him. How are people like him?”

“He uses dark magic. And he enjoys it.” His brother said and his expression was unhappy now. “It doesn’t matter what he says, something like last week will happen again. And maybe we won’t be this lucky then. Someone might get hurt.”

“You’re wrong. Gellert doesn’t enjoy it.” Albus replied immediately. “And it won’t happen again. I won’t repeat myself about this.” He hesitated. “You have to trust me with this, Aberforth.”

Aberforth didn’t look convinced. “You think you can change him. Make him a better person. It’s crazy. Yes, I know what you want to say. It might work. But have you considered that he might not want to change? That he wants to have the power he dreams of? Then he wouldn’t need someone like you in his life. Or he’ll just use you until his plans are fulfilled. You’re brilliant, everyone sees that. And maybe Gellert Grindelwald is someone who wants to use that brilliance for his own plans.”


	4. A Day Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

The next morning, Albus was sitting on his bed. It was still very early, but he couldn’t sleep anymore. To be honest, he hadn’t thought that he could sleep at all the previous evening, but he was still weakened from his injuries. He had fallen asleep as soon as he was in bed.

Now all the thoughts were coming back to him. His conversation with Aberforth was bothering him and there was nothing he could do to stop it. ‘ _You’re brilliant, everyone sees that. And maybe Gellert Grindelwald is someone who wants to use that brilliance for his own plans._ ’ His brother said. Aberforth seemed to be convinced of the truth behind his words, he had seen it in his eyes. But was there truth in those words? 

Albus felt guilty for asking himself that question immediately. He trusted Gellert. He wouldn’t hesitate to entrust his life to him if it was necessary. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his friend. So why were Aberforth’s words bothering him so much? He knew that his brother didn’t like his friend and Gellert didn’t like Aberforth as well. The insults they threw at each other and their attempt to start a fight proved that.

Gellert would never use Albus just to reach his own goals, would he? Albus sighed and closed his eyes. They had talked about their plans very often and they saw many things the same way. Albus had been impressed by Gellert immediately; he had never thought that someone would understand him that well. And he really thought that he understood Gellert too. Of course there were differences in their understanding of a few things, but as he had also told Gellert, they could find a solution for those things. They could figure it out together. And it had seemed as if Gellert liked the idea…

Or did he just say that to make Albus happy?

He shook his head and stood up. It wasn’t good to think about those things. Gellert had promised that he would stay as long as Albus wanted him by his side. And he never broke a promise. He wouldn’t just leave him behind. Albus had already told Gellert that he couldn’t make him stay when he wanted to leave. So he could have just left, couldn’t he? When there was nothing holding him at Godric’s Hollow anymore. At that thought, a dull feeling appeared in Albus’ stomach. Would he be able to make Gellert stay here?

He began to walk through his room restlessly, careful to stay silent. He didn’t want to wake his siblings yet. “He promised.” Albus whispered to himself and stopped at the window. It would be a beautiful day and the sun was shining. After a few minutes, Albus continued to walk through his room. Gellert wouldn’t use him, he knew that. He wasn’t like that. Aberforth had to be wrong with all those things. Of course his brother had reminded him of the fact that Gellert had been expelled from school because of the dark magic he had used. To Aberforth, that proved that he was an evil person and that he would do that again to get power. And the obsession with the Hallows was something bad too. Even if Albus thought that it was fascinating as well.

He sat down on the bed again and ran a hand through his hair. He knew that he should stop thinking about the things Aberforth had said. He trusted Gellert and that was all that mattered. Albus breathed in deeply and tried to stay calm. Yes, his friend would never betray him, he was sure of that. And he wouldn’t let Gellert get on the wrong path with the dark magic. He didn’t want his friend to do the wrong thing. And maybe Albus just didn’t want Gellert to leave his side. With that thought, Albus fell asleep again.

* * *

There was a knock on his door and Albus turned around in bed. When he opened his eyes, the sun was blinding him and he blinked. It couldn’t be that late, the last time he looked out of the window the sun had just risen. He sat up slowly and a look at his watch told him that it really was that late. It was ten o’clock on the morning. He had fallen asleep again for about five hours!

“Albus, are you awake?” A voice asked and Albus noticed that it was Ariana. “Are you feeling ill? Normally, you’re the first to wake up.” She sounded concerned and Albus felt guilty.

“I’m fine, Ari.” He answered loudly and stood up. “I’ve been awake a few hours ago, but it seems like I’ve fallen asleep again.” He apologized and searched for something to wear.

“It’s alright, I’ve just been worried.” Ariana answered through the door. “Will you come downstairs when you’re ready? I’ve prepared breakfast. Aberforth is outside with the goats, he’ll be here soon.”

“I’ll join you then, just let me get changed.” Albus said and he heard the footsteps of his sister on the stairs. When he looked in the mirror, he noticed that he wasn’t looking as tired as the previous day anymore. However, the person in the mirror looked concerned and was frowning at him. Did he always look like he was carrying a heavy burden on his shoulders or was it because of the events of the previous week?

When he went downstairs, he noticed that he wasn’t hungry. He still had this dull feeling in his stomach because of Aberforth’s words. And because he hadn’t seen Gellert since last evening. Then it hit him and he stopped on the stairs. He hadn’t heard anything from Gellert since he left to see his aunt. What if he had left, despite his promise? Albus swallowed and his heart began to race. Gellert would never do that, he tried to tell himself. Nevertheless, the fear wouldn’t vanish.

He forced himself to continue walking towards the kitchen. Once he entered it, Ariana looked at him with a worried expression on her face. “Albus, are you sure that you’re alright? You’re very pale.” She said and he forced himself to smile.

“It’s nothing, Ari.” He replied calmly and was surprised that his voice wasn’t shaking.

Ariana didn’t seem to be convinced, however she nodded. “Gellert has been here this morning.” She told him and didn’t seem to notice the surprised gasp that left Albus’ mouth before he could stop it.

“He’s been here? When?”

Ariana frowned. “About two hours ago, I think. As soon as Ab left with the goats, he knocked on the door. I think he didn’t want Aberforth to see him.”

“And what did he say?” Albus noticed that he sounded like a child, asking all those questions as if his life was depending on the answers. But right now, he didn’t care. And this was Ariana, his little sister, who already knew that he liked Gellert very much.

“He wanted to see you. He was surprised when I told him that you were asleep. Asked if you were alright and if he could see you. I told him that he should let you sleep some more since you were still sick. He was disappointed and left.” Ariana handed him the bread and Albus helped her to set the table. Slowly, the strange feeling in his stomach vanished and he could relax again. So Gellert was still here and he even wanted to see him. Albus smiled at Ariana.

“Thank you for telling me that.” He said and she grinned.

“Aberforth said that I can help him with the goats today.” She told him and as soon as Aberforth entered the house, they started to have breakfast.

* * *

He found Gellert sitting under a tree close to the house of his aunt. When he got closer, he noticed that Gellert’s eyes were closed. He looked concentrated and Albus wondered what he was thinking.

“You’re late.” Gellert said once he got closer without opening his eyes. He was smiling now and Albus chuckled. He felt light-headed and had to grin as well. Gellert was still here and he had kept his promise! So all the doubts had been unnecessary.

“I’m sorry, looks like I’ve fallen asleep again.” Albus apologized and when Gellert opened his eyes, they were shining in the sunlight.

“You don’t have to apologize, I was just joking. You still need to rest.” He added and gestured towards the ground next to him. “Come on, sit down. I don’t want to look up to you all the time.”

Albus sat down slowly, careful not to strain his back which was still hurting. When he leaned back against the tree, ne noticed that Gellert was looking at him with narrowed eyes. “What are you thinking?” He asked and his friend sighed.

“You’re still in pain, aren’t you?” Gellert asked slowly and for a few seconds, Albus considered to lie to his friend. But since Gellert would notice it, he nodded.

Gellert looked down at his hands. “I’m really sorry, Albus.” He muttered and Albus shook his head.

“I’ve already told you that you don’t have to apologize.” He said simply. “So what were you doing in front of our house this morning? Ari told me that you waited for Aberforth to leave before you came closer.” Albus didn’t want Gellert to think about what happened any longer, so he tried to distract him. It seemed to work since Gellert grimaced.

“She told you that?” He asked and ran a hand through his hair nervously.

Albus looked at him curiously. “Is that a bad thing?” he asked and Gellert shook his head.

“No, it isn’t. I’m just surprised that she noticed it.”

“Ariana sees many things.” Albus said slowly. “Sometimes I wonder if it’s a good idea to isolate her from everything else.”

“It isn’t.” Gellert replied immediately. “You can’t keep an eye on her forever. And your brother can’t do that as well. Everything would be much easier if she could control her magic and didn’t have to hide anymore.”

Albus sighed. The thought of what happened to his sister still made him sad. “She’s afraid of what she can do.” He told Gellert. “The thought of using magic terrifies her.”

“And it doesn’t surprise me. And you neither.”

He nodded. “Aberforth thinks it’s best to keep Ariana out of trouble. And since a life under wizards always means trouble…”

“I’m sure she doesn’t want to stay at home forever.” Gellert murmured.

“I thought the same. However, I don’t think the idea of leaving ever came to her mind.” Albus said thoughtfully.

“But you wanted to leave.” Gellert looked at him with a small smile on his lips. Nevertheless, it didn’t reach his eyes. “Don’t try to deny it, Albus. I can see that the thought still makes you sad.” When he said the last words, a strange undertone had appeared in his voice. Something Albus couldn’t quite name.

He shook his head and ignored the surprised look on Gellert’s face. “It doesn’t make me too sad anymore. I was sad, that is true. And angry when I had to cancel the journey. But when I would have left, we wouldn’t have met. And getting to know you is the best thing that happened in my life. I could never regret that.” Albus hadn’t been able to stop himself, the last sentences were out before he even realized what he was saying.

He looked at Gellert with wide eyes, hoping his friend wouldn’t be offended by what he just said. But why should he be that? Albus didn’t see a reason for that. He had just told Gellert that he was happy that they got to know each other. But you could also interpret those words differently… And he didn’t even know how Gellert saw the two of them. Most likely, he just saw Albus as a very good friend. For Albus’ part, he wasn’t so sure about that anymore…

Slowly, a wide smile appeared on Gellert’s face. However, it was not his usual brilliant smile. This one was different, shyer. “I’m very glad to have you in my life too, Albus.” Gellert whispered and suddenly, Albus’ doubts vanished as fast as they had appeared. He smiled back at him.

They sat there in silence for some time, just looking into each other’s eyes. Albus really liked Gellert’s eyes, the blue was lighter than in his own ones. It looked like the sky. Or rather than very blue water? He was still thinking about it when Gellert cleared his throat. He ran a hand through his blond locks.

“I just thought it wouldn’t be a good idea if your brother saw me.” He said and it took Albus a few moments to realize what he was talking about.

“He wouldn’t have said anything bad to you.” He replied and Gellert shook his head.

“You know that it’s not true, Albus. He hates me.” And I don’t like him either. Gellert didn’t have to say those words, Albus knew very well what he was thinking.

“I told him that he should be nice to you yesterday evening.” Albus told him and Gellert looked surprised.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to.” Albus smiled slightly. “I don’t want you to hate each other. I know, most likely that will never change. But you can at least try to stay calm when you’re around each other. After much hesitation, Aberforth agreed to that.”

“He really did…” Gellert muttered and suddenly, he laughed. “I bet he wouldn’t be amused if you invited me for dinner soon.”

Albus chuckled. “He would have to accept it. I make my own decisions. And besides, Ariana likes you. He would never say something that makes her upset.”

“I don’t want her to be upset as well. So I would never turn down an invitation, you know that.” Gellert said and he was still smiling.

Albus tried to look offended. “So you would come because of an invitation of my sister, but not when I invited you?” He crossed his arms and Gellert hit him playfully, careful not to use too much strength. It rather felt like he was stroking Albus’ arm.

“You know that I would always come over when you want me to. I would even come through the window when walking through the door wouldn’t be possible.” Gellert’s tone was serious and Albus believed him immediately. There was this strange feeling in his stomach again, like butterflies. He had that when he was around Gellert very often.

“It makes me happy to hear that.” Albus replied softly. “And you would never have to climb through that window, it’s far too dangerous.” He smiled mischievously. “And there are some very good silencing-spells.”

A grin appeared on Gellert’s face. “You have to tell me about them.” He said eagerly and Albus began to tell his friend about the things he learned at school. Even if he mostly learned them by himself since something like that would have never been taught at Hogwarts. After all, if helped some students to walk through the castle at night, even if it was forbidden.

* * *

They spent the rest of the day talking about many different things. They continued a few conversations they had started at the hospital and told each other new stories as well. While doing that, they walked through Godric’s Hollow and explored the closer environment of the town. They paused regularly since Gellert insisted that Albus had to stop sometimes. He said that he was still recovering and shouldn’t overestimate himself. Albus just agreed silently, not wanting his friend to get annoyed.

They still avoided talking about the Hallows or their plans to change the world. The events from the previous week were still weighing heavily on their shoulders and neither felt ready to confront those themes again. Especially not after Aberforth accused Gellert of being a mean person and using dark magic to reach his goals.

Albus was surprised by Gellert. Normally, he couldn’t stop talking about Hallows and making the world a better place as he called it. But Gellert hadn’t mentioned those things in days, not even at the hospital. And when they weren’t talking his friend had a thoughtful expression on his face. Either that, or he was looking at Albus from the corner of his eyes. Maybe he hoped that he wouldn’t notice it. However, he did and Albus always had to suppress a smile that would reveal himself.

They also didn’t talk about Ariana again, though Albus still thought about that in those moments when Gellert remained silent. Why couldn’t there be a way to help his sister? Her magic was there, she just couldn’t control it. But Albus didn’t know how he could help her to do that. It would be very dangerous, exposing himself to a witch who had no control over what she was doing. But on the other hand, he was a skilled wizard and could protect himself easily…

They were both lost in thoughts and didn’t notice the person who was walking towards them first. Suddenly, someone called their names. They were in the small forest just outside the town and normally, no one ever came here. Albus’ hand closed around his wand and next to him, he saw Gellert doing the same. They had just raised their wands when he person walked around a tree and appeared in their line of sight. Albus raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw who had called them. Next to him, Gellert lowered his wand. “What are you doing here?” He asked, not trying to hide the surprise in his voice.

Albus put the wand in his pocket. “It’s good to see you, Mrs. Bagshot.” He said politely and bowed his head.

“It’s good to see you too, Albus. When I heard what happened, I was very worried. I was happy when Gellert told me that you were alright. And you can call me Bathilda, I’ve told you that before.” She smiled at them and they exchanged a look. Albus raised an eyebrow questioningly and Gellert shook his head lightly. So he didn’t know why his aunt was here as well. Or how she had found them.

“Why are you here?” Gellert asked curiously.

“And how did you know that we’d be here?” Albus added. He would like to know if she had tracked them.

“I saw you walking in this forest a few yours ago when I was in town. And since you haven’t come back yet I figured out that you’d still be here.” Bathilda explained. “And I wanted to ask if you want to come over for dinner this evening, Albus.” When he wanted to say something, she held up her hand. “I’ve already talked to your siblings, they said it was alright.”

At the mentioning of Ariana and Aberforth, Albus relaxed. He didn’t want them to worry. “Thank you very much, Bathilda.” He smiled. “I would love to come over for dinner.” He said and while doing that, he looked at Gellert who was smiling widely now.

Bathilda seemed to have expected his answer. Without another word, she began to walk towards Godric’s Hollow again. They followed her, still grinning at each other happily.


	5. Unexpected Events

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

The next weeks, they developed some kind of routine. Albus would wake up very early in the morning, do some research for his publications and after that, he had breakfast with his siblings. Then, he would meet Gellert somewhere in the village and they would talk about different things – even after a few weeks, they still hadn’t talked about Hallows or anything like that again. They were both still lost in thoughts about those things and Albus constantly tried to figure out how to confront Gellert with them. However, finding a solution to that wasn’t easy. He liked the way Gellert was very much and he didn’t want his friend to change again. Of course he was still getting angry very fast when something bothered him, but Albus doubted that it would change.

In the afternoon, Ariana would prepare dinner (Albus had helped her with it a few times; he wasn’t a very good cook) and then they would eat together. The more time passed, the more often Gellert joined them. First, Aberforth hadn’t been too happy about it. Though, he stopped complaining once he noticed that Ariana seemed to like Gellert as well. He even managed to make her laugh sometimes and it was not always easy to do that.

To be honest, everything was perfect. Nevertheless, Albus knew that it wouldn’t last. In three weeks, Aberforth would have to go to school again. Then he would be alone with Ariana and had to take care of her. He feared that most of his conversations with Gellert would have to take place in their house then since he didn’t dare to leave his sister alone for a long time. At least, Gellert was there and Albus wouldn’t be alone with his sister. He loved Ariana and he would do anything for her, but at the same time Albus needed someone to talk to as well. Someone who really understood him. And it seemed as if Gellert Grindelwald was that person.

At night, when Albus was lying in his bed and stared at the ceiling, he often feared that Gellert would leave. That he would realize that this wasn’t the life he wanted. Albus knew his friend wanted to do something meaningful with his life, he wanted to make changes. And he wanted that too. However, the small village of Godric’s Hollow wasn’t the best place to start those plans. But they couldn’t leave. At least not until Aberforth had finished school in two years.

When he thought of Hogwarts, many memories appeared in Albus’ mind. He had loved his time there, always learning new things and getting new experiences. And he missed the school, it had been his home. Even if he was feeling at home in Godric’s Hollow as well (something he owed to Gellert), the time at Hogwarts had been completely different. When he had graduated, leaving the school had made him very sad and excited at the same time.

Sometimes, Albus wondered if Gellert missed his school as well. He hadn’t graduated since he was expelled two years before that. Would he have wanted to finish school? Does it bother him that he didn’t have a graduation? Albus knew that it could be hard to find a job when you didn’t finish school. He hoped that Gellert would be the exception from that and that his intelligence and charm would help him. Because he could be really charming if he wanted to. In the past weeks, Albus had realized that himself. When Gellert had a new idea and wanted to persuade Albus, he smiled at him in that brilliant way and he would make him many compliments. Those things and the look on his face made it nearly impossible for Albus to resist him.

To his surprise, Bathilda had told him not to worry about Ariana. She had visited them a few times by now and they liked each other. Bathilda used to tell Ariana stories about her life and Albus’ sister couldn’t get enough of them. With a wink, Bathilda had promised to look after Ariana when Albus and Gellert needed time for themselves. Albus had thanked her many times for that – until Gellert had laughed and told him not to be this sentimental. While saying that, his friend had grinned at him and it made Albus blush.

One morning when Albus entered his room after breakfast, he heard a scratch on the window. To his surprise, an owl was sitting on the windowsill and she was carrying a letter. He opened the window and looked at the owl for a few moments. She was very beautiful, with her brown and beige feathers and the dark eyes. He took the letter from her carefully and instead of flying away, the owl looked at him patiently. The letter was from his friend Elphias Doge, the handwriting couldn’t belong to anyone else.

Albus sat down on the bed and opened the letter. While doing that, he noticed that the owl was sitting on the chair at his desk now. He chuckled, only Elphias would choose such an owl to deliver his letters. And somehow, Albus knew that this owl wouldn’t leave until he gave her an answer to the letter.

_Dear Albus,_

_It has been a long time since we heard from each other. I have travelled around the world for some time now and you would never believe me all the things I have seen! The world is incredible, you would have liked it very much. Lately, I have been in Egypt and China. The cultures are very different from our own and the magic they use is magnificent. I would have loved to have you by my side, traveling alone can be very exhausting sometimes. I hope you and your family are alright and made it through the difficult times._

_I will stop in England soon, maybe I can come over for a visit? Name a time and a place and I will be there, we have lots of catching up to do!_

_Elphias Doge_

_PS: The owl waits until you have written your answer and she will not leave otherwise. She knows about her responsibility at delivering letters._

Albus smiled at the owl in amusement and read the letter once more. His friend didn’t write much about the things he had seen, but Albus knew that he would tell him everything once they would see each other again. He would have loved to be there with Elphias, in Chin and all those other places he had visited. It must have been very exciting. However, he wouldn’t have met Gellert if he would have gone to see the world…

He stood up and went to his desk, looking at the owl with raised eyebrows. “If you keep sitting there, I won’t be able to write the answer.” He told her and as he expected, she owl just looked at him. With a sigh, he sat down, ignoring the offended screech on the backrest of his chair. For a second, he wondered what she would do if he leaned back now. However, he didn’t want to scare Elphias’ owl so he dropped that thought again. His answer was short and Albus nodded. He would tell Elphias everything else once they saw each other.

He watched the owl disappear before he went downstairs to search for Gellert.

* * *

“So this friend of yours, will he come here soon?” Gellert asked slowly and Albus nodded.

“I told him to come over once he was in the country again.” He replied. “I bet he’s got many things to tell.”

Gellert nodded thoughtfully. “I bet he has…” He muttered and Albus raised his eyebrows.

“Is everything alright?” He had the feeling that it wasn’t, but Gellert would never tell him that. Sometimes, his friend was too proud to admit that something was bothering him.

“Yes, of course.” Gellert said with a nod. “I just didn’t expect him to be back soon, you said that you wanted to travel for a year.”

“He’s just stopping here on his way to America.” Albus explained. “That had been our original plan and Elphias is doing exactly what we wanted to do together, so…” He didn’t finish his sentence and Gellert nodded.

“So you’ll be busy when he’s here?” The question caught Albus by surprise.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m sure you want to spend your time with him when he’s here. Then I’ll have to look for something else I can do in that time.” Gellert didn’t sound happy and Albus sighed.

“Gel…” he began, but his friend shook his head.

“It’s alright, Albus. Really. I don’t want to stand between you and your friends.”

“Would you please listen to me before you draw your own conclusions, Gellert?” At his change of tone, Gellert looked at him with a surprised expression on his face. “Actually, I wanted to introduce you to each other.” Albus told him and suddenly, there was something like uneasiness on Gellert’s face. Something he had never seen before.

“Are you sure?” His friend asked hesitantly and Albus nodded.

“Of course. I would be very happy if you knew each other. And then we can spend the day together all the same.”

They looked at each other in silence for some time, before Gellert nodded hesitantly. “Alright. But if I don’t like him, I’ll leave.” He stated. “And let me say now that I’m already sorry if that should happen.”

To his surprise, Albus nodded in agreement. “Alright. However, I think you’ll like each other.” At least that’s what he hoped. Somehow, the expression on Gellert’s face told him that he didn’t like Elphias even now, before they have met.

* * *

The day after his conversation with Gellert about Elphias’ visit, Albus was in the garden with Ariana. Aberforth was busy with the goats and Albus had offered to spend some time with his sister. Now they were in the garden, searching for the cat that visited them every day. Ariana had already got some milk for her, but the cat didn’t show up as usual. Ariana was getting restless and Albus told her not to worry. “She’ll come, Ari. Maybe she’s just late.”

In that moment, he wished that Gellert was there. He always knew what to say when his sister was like this. He made jokes about many things that made Ariana laugh and forget all her troubles. Albus wondered why he wasn’t able to do this. Gellert wanted to come over soon, but first he had to help his aunt with the household – something he didn’t like very much.

“Come on Albus, we have to search her!” Ariana’s voice ripped him out of his thoughts and Albus went to her, a smile on his face. Ariana was really impatient by now. They had already looked in front of the house and didn’t find the cat there.

“No need to be this urgent, we’ll find her!” He said and chuckled when his sister started to look under the bushes. Albus doubted that the cat would be there, but he remained silent. He didn’t want to disappoint Ariana.

When they had searched the garden – at Ariana’s instructions, Albus had looked for the cat in the trees – they went towards the house again. “Why isn’t she here, Albus? She always comes.” Ariana whispered and he squeezed her hand.

“Don’t worry, I bet she’ll come back later. And if she doesn’t, she’ll be here tomorrow. Maybe she’s on a trip outside.”

Suddenly, Ariana’s face lit up. “I have another idea where she can be!” She said with excitement in her voice and began to run towards the flowers next to the fence. Albus watched her in amusement when Ariana knelt down right between them.

Then it all happened very fast. Ariana screamed and Albus ran towards her, reaching for his wand in his pocket. “Ariana, what happened?” He called, but his sister didn’t answer him. When he got closer, he saw what was bothering her. There was something lying between the flowers and Albus recognized the black and brown fur of the cat Ariana loved so much. His sister was crying and Albus wanted to wrap his arms around her when he noticed that the air around them began to cool down very fast. He just had enough time to cast a single spell before the explosion around them turned everything into a mixture of dust and smoke.


	6. Being Afraid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Gellert was bored. Helping his aunt in the house was nothing he liked very much. However, he had promised her to do it the previous day. He still didn’t understand why – maybe because Albus had been there when she asked and he wanted to make a good impression. Either way, now he regretted that he said yes.

The hours seemed to be far too long and Gellert wanted nothing more than to go outside. Maybe he could visit Albus again. He wanted to be with his sister since Aberforth was occupied with the goats. Of course the younger brother wouldn’t be happy when he came back and Gellert was there, but he didn’t care about that. He still thought that the younger Dumbledore wasn’t threat to him, Gellert was the better fighter. And they both had promised Albus not to argue again…

He nodded to himself. When they were finished here, he would go over and see Albus. At that thought, Gellert smiled. He liked to be around Albus. Very much, to be honest. Normally, he didn’t like to be around other people. At school, he had been an outsider and he thought that it wouldn’t change here at Godric’s Hollow, a village he hated even before he had been there. But then his aunt had introduced him to Albus Dumbledore. And Gellert’s whole life had turned around.

He couldn’t stay away from Albus for a long time, he knew that. It was impossible. After the accident in the garden when Albus had been injured, Gellert wanted to leave. He knew that it was best for Albus and his siblings. Albus would forget him quickly and have a peaceful and normal life, without Gellert and his plans. When he had seen the hurt expression on Albus’ face after he announced that he was going to leave, Gellert hadn’t been so sure of his idea anymore. Albus had pleaded him to stay and in that moment, he knew that he could never leave him. At least not when Albus wanted him to stay.

It had hurt, to see the nervous expression on Albus’ face every time he left after that. He knew that his friend always thought that he was still going to leave once he felt better. Nevertheless, Gellert didn’t know how to talk to him about those things. So he had stayed quiet and made sure that they saw each other as often as possible. He hoped that it would erase Albus’ doubts. And apparently, it had worked. Now Albus was smiling again when they said goodbye and sometimes, he even told Gellert that he couldn’t wait for them to see each other again.

When he said it, there was this strange feeling in Gellert’s stomach. And he couldn’t stop himself from grinning. Then he would always be very impatient until they had time for each other again.

Right now, Gellert was getting impatient as well, even if he had just seen Albus earlier. When his aunt told him that she wouldn’t need him anymore, he excused himself and left very quickly, just in case she had forgotten something. He walked towards the house of the Dumbledores and thought about all the things he wanted to tell Albus. There were many things on his mind right now, maybe the could –

The sound of an explosion ripped Gellert out of his thoughts. He stopped immediately and looked around, trying to find out where the sound had come from. It sounded as if it happened in the direction he was heading to. He looked in the sky and that’s when he saw the cloud of dust and smoke. Right above the house of the Dumbledores.

In that moment, everything seemed to happen in slow-motion. Gellert could feel his heart beating fast in his chest. He breathed in deeply, trying to stay calm. He reached for the wand in his pocked and noticed that his hands were shaking. And then he ran towards the house, hoping that everything would be alright once he arrived. He hoped that the explosion had taken place at another house, but he knew that it wouldn’t be that way. There were Muggles leaving their houses to see what happened. He just ran past them, not caring about their questioning looks and calls to be careful.

His mind was racing while he tried to figure out what could have happened. Aberforth wasn’t there, Albus had mentioned that he would be gone the whole day. So Albus had been alone with his sister. And Gellert knew that his friend would never do something to cause an explosion like this, Albus was a very skilled wizard. Then there was only one thing left. Ariana. Had she lost control of her magic again? Gellert had seen it before, when something disturbed her very much, bad things happened. However, it had always been small things. A cup flying through the air, a shattering window or a piece of paper that burst into flames. Never an explosion like this, which alarmed the entire village and made the ground shake.

When he got closer, Gellert could see that the smoke was coming from the garden. Apparently, the explosion happened outside. He jumped over the fence and ran around the house. His wand was already in his hand and Gellert expected the worst. His heart was still beating heavily. He prayed that Albus was alright.

The garden was a complete mess. The grass was burned and in the dust and smoke, Gellert thought that he could see a hole in the earth. And there was something else – were those noises coming from there? Or did he just imagine that? He raised his wand and waved it – at once the air cleared.

And what he saw there nearly made him sink to the ground.

In the middle of the hole, the center of the explosion, two figures were lying on the ground. Or he thought that it were two because the taller one had his arms wrapped around the other one. Gellert felt his heart racing in his chest. Could it be possible that they were alright? But how…?

Suddenly, the two people moved and Gellert forced his legs to do something. “Albus!” He shouted and ran towards them. When he got closer, he saw that Albus had his arms wrapped around Ariana, who was still shaking. The noises Gellert heard had been her sobs. Albus still looked completely shaken. However, his expression lit up when he recognized Gellert.

Before he knew what he was doing, Gellert wrapped his arms around Albus and Ariana. His friend inhaled sharply and Gellert let go immediately. “What is it? Are you hurt?” He asked and Albus shook his head.

“It’s nothing.” Albus muttered and smiled slightly. He didn’t believe him. Albus’ eyes always told him the truth and Gellert could see the pain in them.

“What happened?”

At the question, Albus glanced at Ariana. She was still crying and it didn’t look as if she had noticed that he was there. So Gellert had been right, Ariana had caused all this.

He stood up and held out his hand. “Come on, let’s get her inside.”

Without hesitation, Albus grabbed his hand and he helped him to stand up. However, Albus’ knees gave in once he stood and Gellert wrapped his arm around his waist quickly to support him. Ariana was still sitting on the ground and looked at them with wide, teary eyes. “I’m so sorry, this is all my fault.” She whispered and he shook his head.

“No, it’s not.” He replied sternly. “It’s nothing you can control. And now come on, let’s get you two inside.” When Gellert and Albus started to walk towards the house, Ariana followed them quickly.

“You don’t have to do this, I’m alright.” Albus whispered into his ear, but he didn’t want to hear it. He just shook his head.

“I don’t want you to break down.” He whispered back. “I know that this hadn’t been easy. She had used very much magic. And a very strong one. And I bet you haven’t been prepared for the attack.”

They had reached the house now and once they were in the living room, Gellert helped Albus to sit down in an armchair. Only now he noticed that his friend was still holding his wand in his hand. His knuckles were white. Gellert took the wand from Albus carefully and put it down on the table. Then he looked at him more closely. Albus was as white as a sheet and he was breathing heavily. He had his eyes closed now and Gellert feared that he might have drained himself too much. But what other choice did he have? If he wouldn’t have reacted so fast, the explosion would have killed them –

At that thought, he closed his eyes as well and shook his head heavily. He couldn’t think about this, not now. Gellert’s heart was still racing and losing Albus… He breathed in deeply and kept telling himself that everything was fine.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw that Albus was watching him. There was a thoughtful look on his face and did he look concerned as well?

“I would love to know what you are thinking.” Albus muttered and suddenly, Gellert remembered that Ariana was here as well. And that she probably was feeling very bad now.

“Where’s Ariana?” He asked instead of answering the question honestly.

Albus nodded towards the couch behind him. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw that she was asleep. Apparently, it had taken all her strength as well.

“And now tell me what you’re really thinking.” Albus said softly and took him by surprise. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling slightly.

“Shouldn’t you get some rest?” He asked, trying to sound lightly.

Albus sighed. “I’ll tell you what happened, if you tell me what you’re thinking.” He tried again and Gellert knew that he wouldn’t stop asking. He was too curious for that.

He hesitated. “Fine. But only if you let me help you to get up to your room. You should lie down instead of sitting here.” He agreed finally and Albus nodded in agreement. “And let me take care of the garden first.”

“I can do that tomorrow.” Albus protested. “You don’t have to do this, Gel.”

He raised his eyebrows. “And what will your brother think when he comes home and sees all this? And the Muggles? I know that they can’t look into the garden, but they have all seen and heard the explosion.”

Without waiting for Albus’ reply, Gellert walked into the garden and raised his wand. It only took him a few moments to erase the signs of the precious events. When he finished the spell, he looked at everything more closely. It was just like he’d remembered it. When he turned around, there was someone standing in the doorframe, which nearly caused him a heart attack.

“Didn’t I say that you have to get some rest?!” He asked and went to Albus quickly, just in case his knees would give in again.

Albus held up a hand – with the other one he was holding onto the doorframe and Gellert feared that it was the only thing holding him on his legs. “As I said, I’m fine.”

Gellert tried to stay calm, but his voice betrayed him. His reply sounded sharp. “Don’t lie to me, Albus! She nearly killed you! Both of you. And don’t tell me that it was easy to cast the protection spell. I saw it, when I let the smoke disappear. The sphere you’ve created around yourselves. It was a complicated piece of magic and I know how exhausting those things can be, especially when you’re not prepared to use them.”

Slowly, Albus’ smile faded and he sighed. “There’s nothing I can hide from you.” He said.

Gellert frowned when he saw that Albus’ knuckles were turning white. “Let’s get you to your room.” He muttered and wrapped his arm around Albus’ waist, ignoring his surprised gasp.

* * *

Once they were in Albus’ room, he sank down on the bed. Gellert hesitated. He wasn’t sure if he should sit down on the chair or on the bed. The image of Albus and himself appeared in his mind – his arm wrapped around Albus’ waist. He decided to sit down on the bed.

“Now you have to tell me what happened.”

His words were followed by silence and Gellert assumed that his friend had fallen asleep. But then Albus opened his eyes and sighed. “We were looking for the cat.” He began and Gellert remembered the animal very clearly. Black and brown fur, grey eyes. She came every day and Ariana gave her milk. “Ariana couldn’t find her and was already very worried. I even had to climb into a tree to prove that she didn’t hide there.”

“I would have liked to see that.” Gellert muttered and Albus chuckled. Then he turned serious again.

“I had given up searching for the cat. That’s when I heard Ariana scream. I ran towards her as fast as possible and saw the cat lying between the flowers close to the fence. She was dead. And then it happened very fast. It was turning cold and somehow, I knew what was going to happen. Luckily, my wand was already in my hand. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to cast a protection spell. After that, I wrapped my arms around Ariana and hoped that I could calm her down again.”

Gellert was shocked. He had already expected it, but hearing that Albus had nearly died was something completely different. And then there was something else that bothered him. “You’ve wrapped your arms around her to calm her down? Do you know how dangerous that was? She could have hurt you even if you cast a spell to protect yourself.”  _She could have killed you_ . He couldn’t say those words to Albus. Gellert started to feel sick when he realized how close he had been to losing Albus. Just because of the dead cat…

His friend sighed. “I know. But she is my sister. And I couldn’t just do nothing…”

Gellert breathed in deeply. He had to stay calm, he couldn’t let his anger show in front of him. Especially since no one was to blame for the incident. Ariana couldn’t control her magic – it had been a simple accident, nothing else.

Suddenly, Albus took his hand and squeezed it. When Gellert looked at him, he saw a small smile on his lips. “Sometimes, I would really like to know what you’re thinking.” He whispered.  _And I would like to know what’s going on in your mind as well…_ Gellert thought.

“I’ve promised you, didn’t I?” He asked softly.

Albus raised his eyebrows in confusion.

“I promised to tell you what I think.” Gellert explained and then his friend nodded.

“And what were you thinking?”

“Don’t you want to know what I’m thinking now?” He asked back with a smile.

Albus chuckled. “You’re impossible, Mr. Grindelwald.” He muttered.

“The answer would be the same.” Gellert hesitated, but when he saw the smile on Albus’ lips, his doubts vanished. “I was worried that something might have happened to you. And I thought how happy I am that you are alright.”

Albus’ expression softened. “Gellert…” He whispered.

“I really don’t know what I would do if something happens to you, Albus.” He admitted and noticed that they were still holding hands.

“And you think that I would know it? What to do without you?” Those words nearly made Gellert’s heart stop. He wanted to say something else, maybe tell Albus how important he was to him. But then he saw the tiredness in his eyes.

“Maybe you should get some sleep.” When Albus opened his mouth to protest, he shook his head. “I’ll stay here to make sure Ariana is alright. And I’ll tell your brother what happened once he comes back. And” he added when Albus opened his mouth again “I’ll still be here when you wake up. I promise.”

At the last words, Albus finally started to relax. A few minutes later, he had fallen asleep. Gellert looked at him for some time and touched his cheek lightly. He didn’t want to wake him. Even if Albus had fallen asleep, they were still holding hands.


	7. I'll Catch You If You Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo, I'm posting another chapter now. I just wrote chapter 23 of this story, so I thought that I should add more chapters here so that it's up to date here as well. 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Gellert watched the sleeping Albus for some time. He didn’t want to stand up and look for Ariana – the feeling of Albus’ hand in his own was too good. But the girl had an awful day and she had to be terrified. It wouldn’t be good if she woke up and no one was there.

Slowly, Gellert left the room and headed for the stairs. The worried look on Albus’ face appeared in his mind again, reminding him that he was still afraid that Gellert would leave.  _I could never leave you, Albus_ he would have loved to say, but the words just wouldn’t come out. However, the promise that he would stay was easy to make. And Gellert had every intention to keep it. 

Ariana was still lying on the couch and it seemed as if she didn’t move since they left some time ago. When he got closer, Gellert noticed the tears running down her cheeks. So she was awake. He sat down on the armchair and silence filled the room for a few minutes. Then Ariana opened her eyes and frowned when she recognized Gellert.

“Where’s Albus?” She whispered and Gellert smiled. He hoped that it would calm her down.

“He’s asleep in his room. Your brother needs to rest, it wasn’t easy for him to protect the two of you. You don’t have to worry, Ariana, he’s alright.” At his words, Ariana sobbed loudly. Without thinking about it, Gellert sat down next to her and hugged her tightly. Suddenly, he understood why Albus had tried to calm his sister down after the explosion. It was difficult not to react to her when she was upset. When did he start to like that girl so much? She was Albus’ sister, so getting along with her wasn’t a bad thing. But Gellert had never noticed before that he cared so much about her.

“It’s all my fault!” Ariana whispered against his chest. “If I wouldn’t have lost control, everything would still be fine. No one else nearly kills his brother just because you’re upset!” She began to cry again and Gellert stroked her back.

“You don’t have to cry, it’s fine. Nothing happened. Albus is just tired, nothing else. And I’ve already fixed the damage in the garden.”

“But what if it happens again? The next time, he may not be able to cast a spell that saves us… Or maybe someone else is around, who doesn’t even know what I’m capable of!” Ariana was shaking and Gellert tried to find something he could say to her. He would have liked to tell her that it would never happen again, but that wasn’t true. No one knew when she would lose control again. It happened suddenly, sometimes even when no one expected it.

“Don’t think about those things. Nothing will happen, I’m sure of that.”

“But something already happened…” Ariana whispered in a pained voice and Gellert knew that she meant the death of her mother. “And now Albus…”

“Ariana, look at me.” Gellert said in a calm voice and let go of her. She wiped away the tears and Gellert noticed the insecure look on her face. “Albus is fine. He’s a very skilled wizard, you don’t have to be afraid of hurting him.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he held up his hand. “And you won’t hurt Aberforth either. He can look after himself very well.”

“And you?” The question was barely a whisper and took him by surprise.

“Me?” He knew how bewildered he had to sound.

Ariana nodded and looked down on her hands, as if asking was embarrassing. Gellert chuckled softly, which made her look up again. “You’re worried because I might get hurt?” He still couldn’t believe it.

“Albus likes you very much. He would heartbroken if something happens to you. And I like you too, Gellert. For me, you already are a part of our family.” He must have stared at her, because now Ariana asked him if _he_ was alright.

“I’m fine.” He replied automatically. “You just took me by surprise.” She regarded him as family? And it would break Albus’ heart if something happened to him… This was information he needed to take in slowly.

“I’m afraid, Gellert.” Ariana admitted and squeezed his hand. The movement ripped him out of his thoughts. He tried to change his expression because he knew that it was terrified right now. He smiled at her.

“You don’t have to be, Ari. You are not alone in this, we’re all there for you. And I’ll talk to Albus once he feels better, we will find a solution to this.”

“It’s just… Aberforth will go back to school soon. And then Albus will have to be here with me all the time. And I know how much he hates it; he doesn’t like being tied to this house. To this village.” The tears began to fall once more. “I know that he wants to see the world. That you both want to see the world, together. And I’m keeping you from that.”

Sometimes, Gellert forgot how attentive Albus’ sister was. This was something she had in common with her brother, they both used to notice everything. He cleared his throat. “That’s not true.” He began slowly. “Of course we would like to see other places and travel around the world. But you are not keeping Albus from that. He likes being with you, Ariana. We both like it. And Albus told me that he’s fine with staying here until Aberforth finished school. And it is only one more year. Then Aberforth will stay with you. And who knows, maybe we will even find another solution? A year is a long time.”

Ariana was still looking insecure. “You are not lying to me now, are you?” She muttered and looked down at her hands again.

“No, I’m not.” Gellert replied immediately. Suddenly, he notice the tiredness in Ariana’s eyes. “Let me suggest something. I’ll take you to your room so you can sleep. Then I’ll prepare dinner and, in the afternoon, when Albus feels better as well and Aberforth is back, we’ll eat together. How does that sound?”

Ariana nodded, still not looking into his eyes. He wondered what was going on in her head right now.

* * *

The return of Aberforth and his goats couldn’t be overheard. Gellert was in the kitchen and dinner was ready. It hadn’t taken him long to cook something – thanks to his aunt who thought that everyone should be able to do that. Gellert had just thought of returning to Albus’ room, when Aberforth arrived. It was impossible that Aberforth hadn’t heard something about the explosion Ariana caused. Since Albus was still asleep and needed rest, Gellert had to tell him about it. The thought didn’t cheer him up.

To his surprise, Aberforth wasn’t looking angry when he entered the kitchen. The expression on his face was worried. Surprisingly, he didn’t seem to mind that Gellert was there. “The neighbours told me that there has been an explosion with smoke and dust rising into the air.” He said once he was in the room. “And then everything vanished as if nothing had happened at all. Where are Albus and Ariana? They were alone in the house when I left. The neighbours also told me that they saw you running through the streets after the explosion. Are the others alright? And what happened?”

Aberforth was speaking fast and Gellert saw the concern in his eyes. So he knew that Gellert hadn’t been here when the accident happened. That was good, so he couldn’t blame him. “They are alright, no one’s been hurt.” Gellert replied calmly and at his words, Aberforth relaxed a little bit. He sat down on a chair opposite Gellert. “It seems like Ariana lost control.”

Not the tension in Aberforth’s body was back. “What happened?” He demanded to know.

Gellert told him the story he had heard from Albus. About the cat and Ariana losing control. How Albus had created a sphere to protect them. He also told Aberforth that his brother nearly didn’t survive the incident; only his fast reactions and his magical skills had saved his life. Then he summarized what happened after his arrival.

“They are both in their rooms and asleep.” Gellert finished his story. “I’ve prepared dinner and promised Ariana that we would all eat together once you arrived.”

It was difficult to interpret the expression on Aberforth’s face. After their fight and Albus’ time in the hospital, Gellert always tried to be careful around his brother. He didn’t want to cause more trouble. And apparently, Aberforth thought the same. The look on his face now was a mixture of worry and something else Gellert couldn’t quite name. He had never seen this expression on Aberforth before. He always thought that it wasn’t easy to read Aberforth; his face seldom told you what he was thinking.

“Thank you.” He words cut Gellert out of his own thoughts. He raised his eyebrows and Aberforth sighed. “You’ve heard what I said. And I will only repeat it once. Thank you for taking care of them when I couldn’t.”

Gellert smiled slightly. “I didn’t do it for you.” He replied calmly, seeing no reason why he should lie to Aberforth.

“I know. And I’ll tell you something else.” Aberforth narrowed his eyes. “If you hurt my brother, I’m going to kill you. Understood?”

Gellert nodded seriously. “I would never hurt him.” He promised.

Aberforth watching him for a few seconds before he nodded as well. “I see that you mean it. Don’t change your mind, Grindelwald.”

“I won’t.”

“And if you do anything to upset my sister…” He didn’t have to finish the sentence, Gellert understood the unspoken threat.

“I will not upset her intentionally.” He said after considering his use of words carefully. He would never make Ariana lose control purposely. However, letting Aberforth attack him when he accidentally made her upset was nothing he wanted as well.

“That’s all I wanted to hear.” Aberforth muttered and stood up abruptly. “I’ll wake Ariana. You can see if Albus is awake by now. When he feels better, we can have dinner together.” Without waiting for a reply, he headed for the stairs.

Gellert followed him, the urge to be with Albus dragging away any other feelings. When he entered his room and closed the door behind him, he saw that Albus was still asleep. His eyes were closed and there was this peaceful expression on his face – the one that rarely appeared when he was awake.

He sat down on the bed and touched Albus’ arm lightly. He hated to wake him up, but Albus had to eat something. It had taken much of his strength to use the spell earlier. “Albus, you have to wake up.” He whispered softly.

Albus groaned in his sleep and slowly, he opened his eyes. “Gellert?” He asked and blinked a few times.

Gellert smiled at him. “I promised you to be here when you wake up.”

A smile appeared on Albus’ lips. “You kept your promise.”

“I always do.” _For you, I’d do anything_. 

“How long have I been asleep?” Albus sat up, still looking tired.

“A few hours. You didn’t miss anything. After you’ve fallen asleep, I took Ariana to her room. Then I prepared dinner. Aberforth just arrived, he wanted to wake Ariana.”

“Was he angry?” Albus asked, sounding concerned.

Gellert shook his head and chuckled. “No, he wasn’t. I would have expected him to freak out. But he stayed calm and even thanked me for being here.”

Albus laughed. “He thanked you?”

He nodded and joined the laughter. “I didn’t believe it at first. Seems as if he was just glad that someone was here with you.”

Albus was still smiling at him. “I’m glad that you’re here as well, Gel.” He whispered. Suddenly, Gellert was well aware of his heart beating fast in his chest. It happened every time he was around Albus; from the first time on his friend had this effect on him.

“Me too.” He whispered and suddenly, they were both leaning forward, towards each other.

Until the door opened and Ariana burst into the room. “What takes you so long? Aberforth said that Gellert made dinner and I’m hungry! So hurry up!”

Albus and Gellert had backed away once the door opened and they both looked at Ariana wide-eyed. Gellert noticed that Albus’ cheeks were red now. “We’re coming, Ariana. Just let me get up, I’m still a little tired.” Albus replied in a calm voice, the opposite from the look on his face.

Ariana didn’t notice the tension between them, she just nodded. “I’ll wait for you downstairs.” With those words, she turned around and left.

The silence that followed her was awkward. Gellert cleared his throat. “We should go downstairs as well, shouldn’t we?” He noticed that his voice sounded raw.

Albus nodded. “Otherwise, my little sister will murder us.” He replied flatly and stood up. He stumbled and Gellert was by his side immediately, a hand on Albus’ back.

“Are you alright?” He asked, concerned that Albus was still weakened from the magic he had used.

Albus nodded at his question. “I’ll be fine.”

His answer didn’t satisfy Gellert and when they headed downstairs, he stayed close to Albus the whole time. Just in case he would stumble again. Then Gellert would be there to catch him. He would always be there to catch him.


	8. Confession Time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

After the incident with Ariana, it took Albus only a few days to recover and gain back his strength. Gellert only left his side at night since Albus refused to let him sleep on the couch. His friend seemed to be worried, Albus saw it in his eyes when Gellert thought that he wasn’t looking. The first day, Gellert had always stayed close in case Albus might stumble again.

To be honest, Albus had liked having Gellert so close. And to have him around all the time was great as well. However, he refused to think about the evening after the explosion and what happened in his bedroom. Albus didn’t want to know what might have happened – the thought would just disappoint him. And he wasn’t even sure if Gellert had seen the situation in the same way. What if Albus was interpreting it all wrong?

Surprisingly, Aberforth didn’t say a word against Gellert being in their house all the time. Albus still wondered what they had talked about when he was asleep. Ever since, they had stopped insulting each other. Now there was a silence between his brother and his best friend. They only talked when it was necessary. Nevertheless, they couldn’t hide the annoyed glances they threw at one another from Albus. Then he would just exchange an amused look with Ariana, who noticed that too.

Ariana had apologized for her outburst many times. Albus knew that she was feeling guilty because she could have hurt him. He told her many times that it wasn’t her fault and apparently, Gellert and Aberforth had told her the same. However, his sister didn’t seem to believe him and she was still crying when she thought that no one would notice it.

He would have loved to help her. To make her feel better so that she didn’t have to be afraid all the time. Maybe there was a way… He wanted to talk to Gellert about it, maybe they could figure out a way together.

At the thought of Gellert, there was always this strange feeling in his stomach. After the explosion and the fear in Gellert’s eyes when he had found them, Albus finally knew what it was. He was falling in love with his best friend! A wizard of whom he didn’t even know if he was interested in men or women. They had never talked about this subject – for Albus it wasn’t a surprise because he had never been in a relationship before.

But what about Gellert? He had told Albus many things about his time at school, but he never mentioned relationships or love. Maybe because that never existed for him since his biggest obsessions have been the Deathly Hallows and magic of all kinds?

Albus really didn’t want to know if Gellert had been in love before. And mostly, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know how Gellert saw  _their_ relationship. Of course things would get more clearly someday, but Albus could wait for that day. To be honest, he was  _afraid_ of that day. Because there were two possibilities. Everything would be alright, or his whole world would shatter. And his heart too. 

Right now, he was sitting next to Gellert under a tree in their garden. It was a cloudy day, Albus thought that it was going to rain soon.

“What are you thinking?” Gellert asked and it took Albus a few seconds to realize that the question was directed at him. He looked at his friend and raised his eyebrows.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

At the question, Gellert began to laugh. “Alright, you are really lost in thoughts. So tell me, Albus, what are you thinking?” Gellert had changed his position and now he was sitting opposite Albus, so that they could look into each other’s eyes without turning their heads. This didn’t make it easier for Albus since the intense and impatient look of his friend made him nervous.

“Well-“ He hesitated, searching for the right words. Now it was Gellert’s time to narrow his eyes.

“What’s wrong? Normally, you don’t have to search for words this long.”

His friend really noticed everything. The expression on Gellert’s face turned from amused to concerned. “There is something wrong, isn’t it?” He was looking at Albus intensely, like he was searching for signs of discomfort.

Albus hoped that he could hide his nervousness from Gellert. He cleared his throat. “There’s nothing wrong, Gel. I’m fine.” He was surprised that his voice sounded calm. And that his cheeks weren’t red by now.

Gellert crossed his arms and leaned back. Until now, Albus hadn’t noticed that they had been so close. “So what is it? You have been silent for the last hour. There has to be something that bothers you, otherwise you wouldn’t be this quiet.”

They didn’t talk for one hour? To Albus, it had seemed like a few minutes.

“I just thought about the events from the previous days.” Albus replied slowly. “I don not like to see Ariana this upset.”

Gellert nodded and changed his position again – now he was lying in the grass and looked at the sky. “I’ve been thinking about that as well.” His friend confessed, which surprised Albus.

“You have?”

“She was very sad, after she had caused the explosion. She’s afraid that someone will get hurt the next time it happens. That it hits one of us; Aberforth, you or me.” He chuckled. “Me, can you believe it? She said that for her, I already belong to your family.”

_For me, you’re a part of our family as well, Gellert._ Albus would have loved to say this to him, but his friend continued without giving him a chance to reply something. 

“Well, let’s just say that she surprised me. And I’ve been thinking of how we could help her. If there would be a way to make her gain some control…”

Albus looked at his friend thoughtfully. Gellert was still looking at the sky, a frown on his face.

“But how can we do that?” Gellert continued. “When her magic comes out, there’s no way of controlling it. It nearly _killed_ you, and you are one of the most skilled wizards I know. You didn’t even have a chance to do something else than defending yourself.” Now Gellert had closed his eyes and Albus wondered if he had just imagined the pained look on his friend’s face when he said that Ariana had nearly killed him. 

“You have to keep in mind that I wasn’t prepared for the attack.” Albus reminded him calmly. Gellert opened his eyes and leaned on his elbows so that he could look at Albus.

“What do you mean?”

“I haven’t seen it coming. So there was no time to react. What if there would be time? If there would be a chance to do something…”

“It would be dangerous.” Gellert pointed out.

Albus shrugged. “Not more dangerous than to be around her when she loses control. You see what happened last week. And what happened to my mother.”

Did he imagine it, or was Gellert looking worried again?

“You are talking about upsetting her intentionally.” His tone made it clear that he didn’t like Albus’ idea.

“She will never be able to control it when it stays inside of her.” Albus said slowly, hoping that Gellert would understand. “And the longer it remains there, the stronger her outbursts will get. You saw the explosion yourself. A year ago, Ariana would have never been able to do that. And before out mother died, we would have never expected that she could-“ He stopped, not able to say the words. Suddenly, Gellert moved towards him and touched his arm. It was just a light touch, but it told Albus everything he needed to know. That Gellert understood him; that he knew that Albus was still sad while talking about his mother.

“It’s alright, I know what you mean.” Gellert said softly. “And I understand that the power inside Ariana is dangerous. Believe me, I would be happy if she could control it. Then you wouldn’t be in danger anymore. But teaching her to control it will be even more dangerous. No one knows what she’s capable of.”

Albus raised his eyebrows. “Didn’t you just say that it would be good if she can gain control of her magic? And now it’s too dangerous?”

Gellert breathed in deeply and suddenly, there was this gleam in his eyes that always appeared when he was upset or angry. “I said that she needs to control it. But that doesn’t mean that you can just put yourself at risk and try to help her with it, Albus! I won’t let you do something that is so risky.”

Albus stared at Gellert, not sure what he could say now. He had expected many things his friend could say, but not this.

“I would rather do it myself than to risk you getting hurt again.” Gellert stood up abruptly and began to walk around in front of Albus. “Do you know how worried I’ve been? First, the incident with Aberforth. You were in the hospital and unconscious for days, Albus. For days! And then Ariana… How you even survived that. It shouldn’t have been possible, most others would have just _died_ there!” Gellert had raised his voice and now, Albus was happy that Aberforth and Ariana were gone with the goats. He stood up slowly. 

“And now you tell me that you want to help Ariana. I understand it, she’s your little sister. It is normal to be worried. But you will risk your life a third time. And a fourth. Maybe a fifth. And more times, if everything works out well! But who knows that it will? Who tells you that you will be able to help her even once? It’s dangerous, Albus!” Gellert was furious, but there was something else in his look. Albus recognized it as worry. Or was there more? It had been a long time since he last saw Gellert this upset and angry.

“Gellert…” He began and tried to stop his friend, but he shrugged off his hand.

“Just listen to me, Albus.” He protested and suddenly, Albus had made up his mind. With two steps, he was in front of Gellert and grabbed his arms to make him stand still. Slowly, he was getting upset as well. He narrowed his eyes.

“No, now you will listen to me, Gellert.” Albus said in a low voice. Gellert had just shouted enough for one day. “And listen carefully, because I only say this once. I know the risks. I’ve thought about them closely. I’ve considered every possible way things could go wrong. And yes, there are many bad things that can happen. However, I will not let my sister live with this all her life. I will at least try to help her. If it doesn’t work out, it’s alright. But that means that I’ve tried to do something.” He paused and waited for Gellert to say something, but his friend stayed silent. He just looked at him wide-eyed. “I understand that you are worried. I would be worried too, if you would consider doing this. I _am_ worried too, Gel. But please, trust me with this? We’ll figure out a way to help her. Slowly, we won’t do something thoughtless. And it will work, I am sure of that.” 

“Wait…” Gellert muttered, still looking into Albus’ eyes. There was a frown on his face now. “You said that _we_ -?” 

That’s when Albus couldn’t stop himself anymore. He chuckled and tried to ignore the confused look on Gellert’s face. “Yes, we will do this together. Of course only if you want to. You really thought that I could do this without you?” At the last sentences, he became serious again.

“Albus…” Gellert whispered, the shocked expression still on his face.

Albus breathed in deeply. Confession time? Now seemed to be a good moment. “I can’t do this without you, Gel.”

Gellert let out a shaky laugh. “You are impossible! First you let me think that you want to do this alone and now you just say that you…” He didn’t finish his sentence. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Albus and hugged him tightly. Albus gasped in surprise and held Gellert tightly. They stayed like this for some time – Albus didn’t know for how long.

When they let go of each other, there was a smile on Gellert’s lips. It seemed as if he wanted to say something, when the sound of thunder interrupted him. When the first raindrops started to fall, neither of them moved. They stood in the middle of the garden, looking deeply into each other’s eyes. Their faces were just inches away from each other, but neither of them moved.

“Maybe we should get inside.” Albus suggested when he noticed that Gellert’s blond locks were completely wet. He knew that he probably didn’t look much better.

Slowly, Gellert nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” He muttered and they started to walk towards the house. They were both completely wet. When they were inside, they were both surprised to see Ariana and Aberforth sitting at the table. Ariana laughed when she saw that they were soaked and even Aberforth had an amused look on his face.


	9. Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Albus was nervous. He couldn’t explain why, but the uneasy feeling on his mind didn’t vanish. He knew that this was probably stupid. Nevertheless, his heart wouldn’t stop racing.

Today, Elphias Doge would come to Godric’s Hollow. After many months, Albus would see his best friend again who had just travelled around the world. The world they wanted to see together. Elphias had announced his arrival a few days ago and ever since, Albus was nervous. Of course he was also happy to see him again, he had missed him greatly. However, there was something else now…

Albus meant it when he told Gellert that he wanted him to meet Elphias. And he hoped that they would like each other. Albus still remembered the dark look on Gellert’s face when he had told him that his friend would come for a visit… Gellert hadn’t looked happy about the fact that Elphias was coming. Albus still tried to figure out why. Elphias had been his best friend for years. They got along very well and at Hogwarts, they had done nearly everything together. Elphias was one of the kindest persons in this world. Everyone liked him. But why did Gellert hesitate to meet him? And he even said that he would leave when he didn’t like Elphias.

Albus really hoped that Gellert wouldn’t have to leave. In the past weeks, his friend had visited them every day and he and Albus spent most of their time together. They talked about everything and nothing at once. Sometimes, they even just sat next to each other and didn’t talk at all. Albus always enjoyed having Gellert around. His friend made him feel complete, he had to admit to himself. He often wondered if Gellert felt the same. Even Aberforth got used to Gellert’s visits by now. When they were talking about their researches for hours, his brother juts rolled his eyes. A month ago, Aberforth would have told them to get lost and talk about all this somewhere else where they wouldn’t disturb others. And Ariana was always happy to have Gellert around. She liked him very much and to Albus’ surprise, Gellert liked his sister as well. Sometimes, he even went with her to the garden to look at her flowers.

Albus didn’t want anything to stand between them. Especially not the visit of his best friend.

Elphias would be there soon, so Albus stood up from his chair at the window. He had to stop worrying. That wouldn’t make anything better. He had tried to hide it in front of Gellert as good as possible, but of course his friend seemed to suspect that something was bothering him. There was nothing he could hide from Gellert. But maybe Elphias wouldn’t notice that Albus was nervous about this meeting. Hopefully, he would just like Gellert and vice versa. Then everything would be alright.

Albus got dressed quickly – he decided to wear a white shirt with a dark blue jacket. Gellert had told him once that this combination emphasised his eyes in a very good way. Then he took his wand from the nightstand and headed downstairs. Ariana and Aberforth were gone with the goats, so they had the house for themselves today. In the kitchen, Albus saw that Ariana had kept him some breakfast. He had to smile at this, his sister always cared for them, even if it wasn’t necessary.

Soon after Albus had finished his breakfast and cleaned up, there was a knock on the door. A few seconds later, the door opened and someone walked in. A grin spread out on Albus’ lips, he knew exactly who had just entered the house. When he turned around to greet Gellert, his friend was already standing in front of him. Albus was surprised, he didn’t hear him coming. Had he been so lost in thoughts?

Gellert was smiling his usual wide smile at him. He was leaning on the doorframe and had his arms crossed in front of his chest. His eyes were shining and he looked from Albus’ face to his clothes and back. Albus wasn’t used to this attention, Gellert had never looked at him like this before. He knew that his cheeks were probably burning by now and he smiled shyly at Gellert. To be honest, he was looking very handsome right now. His blond locks were framing his face and the blue shirt he was wearing made his eyes shine even brighter.

“Good morning.” Albus said slowly, not knowing what else he could say right now.

“Good morning to you, too, Albus.” Gellert said softly and took a few steps towards him. Now they were standing right in front of each other, only a few inches separated them. “You look great, do you know that?”

That comment made Albus blush even more. He chuckled nervously. “Maybe someone said that to me some time ago…” He answered vaguely and now Gellert grinned.

“Seems like that someone was very clever. Do I know the person?” Gellert raised his eyebrows slowly and Albus smiled.

“I think you know him.” He replied as calm as possible.

“Him?”

Albus nodded and took a deep breath. The butterflies in his stomach were back, as always when Gellert was this close to him. “Yes, he’s great. I’ve known him for some time by now, but it feels like forever. He’s very handsome. And smart. He is very important to me.” While saying that, he looked deep into Gellert’s eyes. He had planned to tell Gellert that he liked him some time ago, but Albus never found the courage to do so. Now he had done it, even if it wasn’t in the way he expected. He tried to remain calm and waited for Gellert’s reaction.

Gellert was looking at him with wide eyes. The grin on his lips had been replaced by a soft smile and slowly, Gellert reached out to touch Albus’ cheek. Then he took a strand of hair between his fingers which had found its way into Albus’ face without him noticing it. Carefully, Gellert placed it behind Albus’ ear.

“Albus…” Gellert whispered and without thinking about it, Albus leaned closer to him. Gellert was still looking into his eyes when their –

The knock on the door made them jerk back immediately.

They both stood there, still looking into each other’s eyes. For a few moments, no one moved. Then Albus reluctantly cleared his throat. Was it already this late and Elphias had arrived? Right now, he wished that his friend wouldn’t visit today. “Maybe we should open the door…” He muttered and was about to walk past Gellert when his friend got hold of his arm to stop him. “Gellert, what…?” Albus asked in surprise when Gellert wrapped his arms around him tightly. Before Albus knew what was happening, he was pushed against the doorframe and one of Gellert’s hands was on his back. Albus had just time to hug Gellert back, when his friend buried his face in his neck. The hand on Albus’ back was moving slowly now and then Gellert’s other hand was on his chest.

“Gel…” Albus whispered and closed his eyes. There was still a distance between their bodies and Albus pulled Gellert closer. This made him gasp in surprise and he whispered Albus’ name. Now Albus couldn’t stop himself from running a hand down Gellert’s back as well. Gellert lifted his head from Albus’ shoulder and he feared that he had gotten too far, but when he saw the look on Gellert’s face, all his doubts vanished. Now Gellert leaned closer to him again and –

There was another knock on the door, louder this time.

“Albus, are you at home?” He heard a voice calling and took a deep breath. Gellert didn’t look happy when he took a step back. He ran a hand through his hair and when his eyes found Albus’, the soft smile on his lips returned.

“Maybe we should greet your friend.” Gellert suggested calmly and Albus nodded. How could Gellert be this calm when Albus’ heart was still racing and he probably looked like he was going to pass out any moment?

“That’s a good idea.” He replied and was surprised by the calm tone of his voice. However, Albus hesitated in the hallway. “Gel…” He began, not sure what to say about the things that just happened.

Gellert seemed to know exactly what he was thinking since he smiled at him widely. “Maybe we should spend the day with your friend and after that, we can carry on where we stopped.” He winked at Albus and unfortunately, he blushed again. At that, Gellert chuckled. “No need to be embarrassed, Albus.” He whispered which didn’t make it any better.

Now something else came back to Albus’ mind; something that had bothered him ever since he stood up. “You won’t leave, will you?” He asked quietly. “When you don’t get along…” He gestured towards the door.

Gellert frowned and Albus already saw his hesitation as a no. Of course Gellert would leave if he didn’t like Elphias. “Alright, I’ll stay.”

“You will?” Albus asked and raised his eyebrows in surprise. Normally, Gellert always left when something was bothering him.

Gellert nodded. “For you.” He muttered and Albus smiled widely.

Then there was another knock on the door and Albus opened it quickly.

* * *

In the past months, Elphias had changed very much. His usually pale skin was tanned and his dark brown hair was brighter now. He was wearing a dark red travelling cloak, Albus remembered that they had bought it together. In his hand, he carried a large brown bag. He was smiling widely at Albus and he grinned at his friend.

“Albus, it’s so good to see you again!” Elphias said and put the bag down to hug him.

“You too, Elphias. Travelling suits you!” He exclaimed and when they let go of each other, Albus took a step back so that his friend could enter the house. Albus was standing next to Gellert now. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed that he was looking at Elphias suspiciously. And there was something else in his look that Albus couldn’t quite name. It was not happiness, that was obvious.

“Elphias, may I introduce you to Gellert Grindelwald?” Albus asked when Elphias had noticed his friend. Now Gellert was smiling at Elphias politely and Albus was surprised by the sudden change of expression on his face.

“It is good to finally meet you, Elphias. Albus has already told me very much about you.” Gellert said when they shook hands and Elphias laughed.

“Hopefully only the good things.” He raised his eyebrows at Albus, who held up his hands in a defensive gesture.

“Only the best.” He promised and Elphias grinned.

“Good, otherwise he might run away.”

Albus shook his head. “I hope he won’t.” He replied before he could stop the words from leaving him. At that, Elphias looked at Gellert again. This time, his look was more thoughtful than before.

They decided to sit down in the garden. It was a beautiful day at the end of the summer and they just had to use the good weather. “I’ll travel to America soon.” Elphias told them once they sat down. “And Canada. They say that it gets very cold there in the winter.”

Albus smiled at his friend. He was sitting between Gellert and Elphias. Albus had chosen this position carefully after he saw the way Gellert had looked at Elphias. “Now tell me about your adventures.” He said. “It must be very exciting to see the world.”

Elphias laughed again. “It is. But it would be even better if I wouldn’t have to see it alone.” He looked at Albus thoughtfully. “I’m surprised. I would have expected you to be unhappy here.”

Albus remembered the day he had told Elphias that he couldn’t come with him very well. He  _had_ been unhappy. Very much, to be honest. And he had complained about the way things had changed very much. “I was.” Albus replied and looked at Gellert next to him. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling. To his surprise, Gellert smiled back at him. 

“And I see that you are not unhappy now.” Elphias concluded.

Albus turned to his friend again. “That’s true. I was very lucky when I got to know Gellert.”

“We both were.” Gellert threw in and Elphias looked back and forth between them. There was still this thoughtful look on his face, as if he tried to figure something out.

“Bathilda Bagshot is your aunt.” Elphias said to Gellert and it was no question.

Gellert nodded silently. Albus knew that he didn’t like to speak of the reasons why he was at Godric’s Hollow. And from the look on Elphias’ face, he already knew the story about Gellert being expelled from school.

Elphias and Gellert were looking at each other silently and Albus began to feel uneasy. He cleared his throat. “How long will you be staying, Elphias?” He asked and hoped that the question would break the tension.

“I’ll head for London this evening.” Elphias explained.

“I thought you wanted to leave tomorrow.” Albus was surprised, he had expected his friend to stay a little longer.

“I changed my plans just this morning. I got a letter from Evelyne Willow. She’s living in London now and invited me once she heard that I was coming back to England for a few days.”

Albus chuckled when he heard the name. “The Hufflepuff who always wanted to learn with us?” He asked and Elphias nodded with a grin.

“You mean the Hufflepuff who pretended to learn with us and just stared at you all the time.” He corrected him and Albus had to smile when the memories came back to him. However, the last information was new to him.

“She stared at me?” At his surprised tone, Elphias laughed.

“She was head over heels for you, Albus.” He turned to Gellert, who had an amused look on his face now. “The girl was in our Transfiguration class. She was very nice, not a very talented witch whatsoever. One day when we were on the grounds to learn she came to us and asked if she could join us. We didn’t think about it very much and said yes. I noticed immediately that she was more interested in Albus than in the things he tried to tell her about Transfiguration.”

“You didn’t notice that she was not there for learning?” Gellert asked and Albus ran a hand through his hair.

“I noticed that she didn’t pay much attention. But I just thought that she didn’t understand it.” He confessed and now Elphias and Gellert laughed.

“She even asked him if he wanted to go to Hogsmeade with her.” Elphias continued. “At Valentine’s Day.”

Now the smile on Gellert’s face vanished slowly and he looked from Elphias to Albus.

Albus sighed. “You know very well that I said no immediately.”

Elphias nodded. “Nevertheless, she was very nice.”

“And not my type.” Albus replied firmly.

Elphias chuckled. “There was not a single girl at Hogwarts who was your type.” He said simply and Albus shrugged.

“That’s right.” He glanced at Gellert who was looking at him attentively now. He was smiling slightly.

“It wasn’t easy for the girls. They all wanted to talk to him.” Elphias said to Gellert, who chuckled.

“It’s not hard to imagine.” At that, Elphias raised his eyebrows. However, he didn’t reply anything. After that, they told Gellert a few more stories about their time at Hogwarts. Albus had already told him a few of them, but with Elphias’ comments everything was even more interesting. Especially since there were some things he had never told Gellert. Like the story with the girls. Of course Albus had noticed the attention he had gotten back at Hogwarts, but he had never cared very much. His studies had been more important to him. And too much attention from girls had made him uneasy.

In contrast, Elphias had some girlfriends in their later years at school. The relationships never lasted very long, but that hadn’t bothered his friend very much. The girls had always been nice. Evelyne Willow had also been Elphias’ girlfriend, a few years after she had tried to learn with them for their Transfiguration class.

After their stories about Hogwarts, Albus was finally able to hear stories about Elphias’ adventures in the past months. His friend had been at many places from which China and Egypt were by far the most interesting. Elphias had sent him letters from there, but it was better to hear the stories himself. He told them about the countries he had visited in general, about people he met there and about the magic they performed.

Albus was glad that Elphias and Gellert got along well. First, Gellert had been quiet and there had been this thoughtful look on his face. At the very latest, the stories about their time at Hogwarts – Albus had made it very clearly that they were just friends – made Gellert open up to Elphias. Now he was questioning him about the things he had seen in China and India. Gellert was mostly interested in the magic and Elphias told him as much as possible. A few times, Albus just listened to the two of them without integrating himself into the conversation. It was always fascinating to hear Gellert talk about magic and things he didn’t understand quite yet.

Albus also noticed that Elphias just talked about normal, useful magic. Maybe sometimes a few spells that could be good in a fight. However, he didn’t talk about the Dark Arts at all. Albus was grateful for that. He didn’t talk to Gellert about those things as well. And since the accident where Albus had been injured, Gellert had made no attempt to talk about this anymore. Albus was glad about it and hoped that Gellert would not come back to those things.

The day with Elphias passed rather quickly. In the end, Elphias asked Albus about a few things he had done while he was gone. Albus told his friend that not much had happened – he didn’t mention the incident with Gellert and Aberforth or the accident with Ariana. Elphias was still sad that Albus had to stay at Godric’s Hollow. However, Albus wasn’t too sad about it anymore since Gellert would be there with him.

They promised to write each other as many letters as possible and Elphias wanted to visit Albus again once he was back from his journey in a few months. Just before Elphias wanted to leave, Ariana and Aberforth returned with the goats. They greeted Albus’ old friend, even if Aberforth didn’t seem very happy about meeting him again. Ariana asked Elphias a few questions about the world and he tried to answer them as good as possible.

When the time of Elphias’ departure was there, Albus hugged his friend tightly. “Be careful.” He said to him and Elphias grinned.

“I always am.” Then he shook Gellert’s hand and left the house. Albus and Gellert looked after him when he walked along the path towards the gate. Elphias turned around again, waved at them and with a _pop_ , he disapparated. 

* * *

“He is very nice.” Gellert said. After Elphias had left, Gellert and Albus had decided to go for a walk. Now they were in the forest that surrounded Godric’s Hollow.

“I am glad that you like him.” Albus admitted and looked at Gellert. He had his hands buried in his pockets and there was a small smile on his lips.

“You were worried.” Gellert stated. “That I didn’t like him.”

Albus nodded slowly. So Gellert had noticed that there was something on his mind the previous days. Next to him, Gellert stopped and leaned against a tree. Albus turned around slowly to look at him. “I’m sorry.” He muttered and Gellert shook his head.

“Don’t be. If someone has to apologize, then it would be me.”

Albus raised his eyebrows in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“It bothered me that he wanted to visit you.” Gellert ran a hand through his hair, something he did when he was nervous.

“He is my best friend.” Albus took a step closer to Gellert. “Why would it bother you that he wants to visit? At school, we have done nearly everything together. And we wanted to go on this journey together.”

Gellert nodded slowly. “I am sorry, Albus. I see know that you’re right. He’s alright. I see why you got along so well.”

“You also like each other.” Albus reminded him.

“There were many interesting things he could tell me.” Gellert said vaguely.

“And what would that be?” Albus raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms.

Gellert smiled slightly. “So you have never been interested in any of the girls at Hogwarts?” He asked slowly.

Albus nodded. “That’s true.” He admitted simply. “To be honest, I’ve been never interested in a girl at all.”

Gellert’s smile grew wider. “And aside from that?”

Now Albus had to smile as well. “There might be someone…” He hesitated and looked at Gellert thoughtfully. “As I said, you might know him…” Suddenly, something else came to his mind. “And you?”

The question seemed to take Gellert by surprise. “Me?”

“Have you ever been interested in someone?” Albus’ courage was fading slowly and he wondered if it was a mistake to ask Gellert this.

Gellert ran a hand through his hair again. “Only once.” He said then. “It happened all of a sudden. I met the person and… I knew it was right.” To Albus’ surprise, Gellert’s cheeks turned red. He looked beautiful when he blushed.

Albus smiled. “The person must be very lucky.” He said slowly. “What happened then?”

Gellert shrugged. “I was too afraid to say something. I didn’t think that anyone could like me.”

“Why do you think that?”

Gellert laughed dryly. “Come on, Albus. You know how I am. And why I am here in the first place.”

“You are not a bad person.” Albus said firmly, already knowing what Gellert was thinking.

“You don’t know that.” Gellert whispered and suddenly, there was a sad expression on his face. Albus took another step towards him. Now he would have been able to touch Gellert if he wanted it.

“I know you, Gel. And you are not a bad person. I will not change my mind about that.”

“Someday, you will.” Gellert muttered and Albus shook his head.

“I won’t.” He said. “There is something good in everyone. And bad as well. But it is our own choice what we make of it. And I know that you’ll make the right choice, Gel.”

At those words, Gellert smiled again. This time more shyly. “You trust me too much.”

“No. I trust you. With all of my heart. That can never be too much.”

Slowly, Gellert reached out with his hand and touched Albus’ cheek. A gesture he had already done this morning. “Do you still want to know what happened with the person I liked?”

Albus nodded silently.

Now the smile on Gellert’s lips grew wider again. “Maybe I am not afraid to show him what I feel anymore.” And with those words, he leaned in and kissed Albus.


	10. A Serious Conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the chapter some of you have already been waiting for while reading this! I hope you like it, let me know! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

The moment their lips touched, Albus thought that his heart was going to stop beating. Gellert’s hand was still on his cheek and Albus would have loved to touch him as well, but his body wouldn’t react. He was frozen – maybe in shock or because this was too good to be true – and the only thing he managed was to close his eyes.

Gellert’s lips on his were incredibly soft. Albus had often imagined what it would be like to kiss someone and this was much better than everything he had ever made up in his mind. Apart from the hand on his cheek, Gellert didn’t touch Albus. The kiss was hesitant and Albus wondered if Gellert thought that he didn’t want this. That he would push him away.

He only realized his mistake when Gellert pulled back after a short time. Albus opened his eyes and his heart was racing now. Gellert looked at him with wide eyes and he thought that he could see shock in them – and maybe hurt? When Gellert had kissed him, Albus had not reacted at all. He had been too overwhelmed.

“Albus, I’m sorry –“ Gellert whispered and wanted to take a step back. Albus panicked and thought that he would just leave. So he did the only thing he could think of now.

He wrapped his arms around Gellert and pushed him against the nearest tree. And then he pressed his lips against Gellerts’. He was still looking at Albus wide-eyed, but as soon as their lips touched again, Gellert relaxed. He wrapped one arm around Albus’ waist and the other one was on his cheek again.

It was thrilling, kissing Gellert. The feeling of their lips moving against each other was still too good to be true. And now Albus ran a hand down Gellert’s back and buried the other one in Gellert’s hair – something he wanted to do for some time by now.

“I’m sorry.” Albus whispered once they broke the kiss. “You surprised me.”

“I should have told you this a long time ago.” Gellert replied and smiled softly. “I was just worried…”

“That I would not feel the same?” Albus finished his sentence and Gellert nodded silently. “I thought that as well.” Albus admitted. “That you would not like me… like this.” He added.

Gellert chuckled. “Sometimes you can be very stupid. Who could not like you, Albus? You are a great person. You’re kind and smart and very good looking… Who would not see all this when he looks at you?”

Albus cheeks began to burn. “I just see me. And I’m not a very special person. I don’t do things others would admire. In school, I learned most of the time. And now I am busy with my studies. And I take care of my family. That’s rather boring.”

“I think you are a very interesting person.” Gellert said with a wide smile. “And you are special, Albus. Trust me.” Gellert hesitated. “I just thought that someone like me would be too… troublesome for you.”

Albus couldn’t believe what he just heard. Did Gellert really think that he was troublesome? “Don’t say something like that.” He protested. Their faces were still very close to each other and they were whispering. “You are not annoying or anything like that. And I don’t want you to say this again. I already told you that you’re a great person. And that I like you very much. I love spending time with you and our conversations are always interesting. You’re very important to me, Gel.”

Albus thought that the expression on Gellert’s face was nervous. “That’s not what I meant.” He whispered. Albus raised his eyebrows and Gellert sighed. “You know why I am here. Not because I missed my aunt so much. What I did back at school… You know what happened, Albus. I am not a good person. And yes, I know that you would disagree. You said that before. But I am not sure how long I can stand all this. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t have anything to do with you. I love the time we spend together. But this kind of magic… the Dark Arts… they’re fascinating. It’s tempting, learning more about them. I am not sure how long I can resist. Right now, everything’s fine. However, I fear that they might catch me again someday… Maybe not this year or in the next years. But what about ten years, or twenty? Or even more? No one knows what might happen… And I would still like to find the Hallows. I know we didn’t talk about this for a long time and I’m sorry for bringing it up right now, in a moment like this. I truly am. I just want to make sure you know all this when we are together. That I can’t promise you to stay away from this forever.”

He said all those things with a sad expression on his face that nearly broke Albus’ heart. There was this guarded look in Gellert’s eyes, as if he was already preparing for Albus to pull away. To say that he didn’t want this after all.

Albus wasn’t going to do any of those things.

Gellert was looking down now and Albus placed a hand under his chin to make him look up again. He had known that this moment would come. The moment in which they would have to talk about all the things they had avoided for weeks. Albus wished that it wouldn’t have come so soon. And especially not in a moment like this, after their first kiss. However, this was something that couldn’t be changed anymore. There was this knot in his stomach again – the one which had been there after the accident with Gellert and Aberforth, when he had feared that Gellert would leave him. Albus knew that it was fear now. How could he make Gellert understand that they would make it through all this? And that a life without the Dark Arts was possible. Albus had to make him understand that they were bad and that it destroyed everyone who used them. He was afraid that Gellert might not understand it.

“Gel, look at me.” Albus whispered when Gellert still avoided to look into his eyes. “I understand that this is difficult for you. And that this whole situation is probably the worst you could imagine. But –“

He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. Suddenly, Gellert grabbed Albus’ arms and flipped them around. Now Albus was the one being pressed against the tree and Gellert was standing in front of him, a stern look on his face. “Don’t.” He demanded. “Don’t you ever say something like that again! How can you even think that I don’t like this? That being here doesn’t make me  _happy_ . Coming here was a torture, that’s true. Being expelled from school and having to leave my home as well. But don’t you dare to think that I do not like being here. All that changed when I met you, Albus. I am happier than I’ve been in my entire life now. Here, with you. So don’t say those things again.” Slowly, the anger in Gellert’s eyes vanished and was replaced by a soft smile. “Ever since we met, I only wanted you.” He was whispering now and Albus thought that he could hear his heart beating. “And I hope that it will never change.” The last sentence showed Gellert’s insecurity again. He was still pushing Albus against the tree and had his hands wrapped around his arms, as if he wanted to make sure that Albus wouldn’t run away. 

“Then don’t let it.” Was the only thing Albus managed to whisper in this moment. He was lost in Gellert’s eyes, there was a conflict in them. Albus could see the anger and despair in them. But also something else – it was a much softer look. The one he always showed when he looked at Albus.

“It’s not that easy.” Gellert muttered darkly.

“Why not?”

He sighed. “You know me, Albus. When something comes to my mind, I can’t let it go anymore. I just have to do those things, no matter what it costs. And all those dreams I had for years… They don’t just vanish. Don’t you know what I mean?”

Albus knew exactly what he was talking about. He had dreams as well and when they couldn’t come true, it had nearly destroyed him. However, he wouldn’t say that he would do  _anything_ to make them come true. There were more important things than wishes and dreams. The people you loved, for example. In the past months, Albus had learned that lesson. 

“I understand your opinion about this.” Albus began hesitantly. “And I know how important those things are for you. The Hallows, for example. Your excitement caught me too. And it’s a really interesting story and I often wonder if it is true. But Gellert… the Dark Arts.” He swallowed, not sure if he should continue. The patient look on Gellert’s face gave him the courage to do so. “There is a reason for them being forbidden. They are dangerous and it has happened many times that people got lost in the power they give one. And it has never ended well… Most of the times, people died.” The last sentences was barely a whisper and Gellert sighed.

He let go of Albus’ arms and took a step back. “I know, Albus.” He said simply and ran a hand through his hair. The troubled look on his face was back. “I know that very well.” Albus wasn’t sure, but he thought that there was pain in Gellert’s eyes.

“What do you mean?” He asked slowly and frowned when Gellert started to pace in front of him.

“I really don’t want to talk about it.” The sudden change of tone in Gellert’s voice made Albus flinch. Suddenly, his voice was cold and distant. Albus took a step towards him hesitantly and stretched out his arm towards him, but Gellert jerked back immediately. “Don’t.” He hissed and Albus stumbled back, surprised by the harshness in that word. The sudden change in Gellert’s behaviour confused him. And there was something else too. He was hurt. A short time ago, they had told each other about their feelings and they had kissed. Now, Gellert acted as if he would be glad if Albus left him alone.

Apparently, the look on his face told Gellert much about his feelings. Gellert’s expression softened a little bit, even if he still looked troubled. Or was it angry? “Give me some space, Albus. Please.” Gellert said in a calmer voice and stopped in front of him. Taking a deep breath, he continued: “I said once that I will tell you what really happened when the time is right. Back in the garden, when I had the fight with Aberforth. Now seems to be a good moment.”

Albus crossed his arms unintentionally. He had tried not to think about this in the past weeks because he really didn’t want to know who hit him with the spell. He was too afraid that it was Gellert. And at the same time, he didn’t want it to be Aberforth as well.

“Just promise me that you will not run away before I told you everything, alright?” Did he just imagine it, or was Gellert’s voice shaking?

“Alright.” He said slowly, not sure what he should expect.

“Promise me this, please.” Gellert repeated more urgently.

Albus nodded. “I promise.” At that, Gellert’s lips twitched. However, the dark expression on his face remained.

“That day, you were too fast. I was too focused on Aberforth and I was just so angry… You have to understand that I really didn’t expect you to stand between us. And without a wand. What a stupid idea… I don’t know what I thought back then. Maybe that you would disarm us or a protection spell…” Gellert shrugged and ran a hand through his hair again, which was already a mess. “I never wanted to hurt you. You have to believe me, Albus. I could never hurt you.” The pleading look on his face nearly made Albus’ knees give in. He wanted nothing more than to hug Gellert right now, but he had asked him for space. He wouldn’t get closer to him if Gellert didn’t ask. At the same time, the numb feeling in his stomach got stronger and spread out over his entire body. He wasn’t sure if he could move, even if he wanted it.

So Gellert’s spell had brought him to St. Mungo’s. Albus had already feared that.

The look on Gellert’s face turned desperate when Albus just looked at him silently. “I didn’t want to kill anyone. I didn’t even plan to use that spell…” He began to pace in front of him again.

“Which one?” Albus was surprised by the calm tone of his voice.

Gellert just shook his head, but Albus repeated his question. He just needed to know it. Even if it broke his heart to torture Gellert like this. By the looks of it, he had beaten himself up because of the events for some time. “The Cruciatus Curse.” Gellert whispered quietly.

“That’s what I thought.” Albus muttered and nodded more to himself. So his fears had been justified all the time.

“I’m so sorry, Albus. If I could make this undone, I would. I swear. I never wanted you to get hurt.”

“Otherwise, it would have hit my brother.” Albus said calmly and closed his eyes. “Gellert…” How cold he make him understand that they should just let those things stay in the past?

“I never wanted to use one of those curses. In the fight, I just stopped thinking…” Gellert made a step towards Albus but stopped insecure. There was a distance between them now. “I would understand if you don’t want to see me again after this.”

Albus sighed. “It would be awesome if you let me tell you what I think before you just assume that I’ll hate you from now on. Because that is obviously not true. And never going to happen.” At those words, Gellert’s eyes widened. Albus chose his next words carefully. “It doesn’t matter whose spell it was that sent me to St. Mungo’s. And I know that you’ve been blaming yourself ever since. I want you to stop that. There is no need to feel guilty, Gel. It has happened and no one can change it anymore. And no one got seriously hurt. I am alright, you and Aberforth are fine as well. I could never blame you for this.” Albus paused and let his words stay between them for a few moments. “Of course it’s hard to hear that it was one of the unforgivable curses… However, you never made any attempt to use such spells again. We didn’t even talk about the Dark Arts anymore or the Deathly Hallows.”

“I’ve been trying so hard.” Gellert whispered before Albus could say anything else. “I didn’t think of those things in the past weeks. And I am still trying not to do it. It’s not always easy, but I am doing it for you. For us. I am just not sure if I am strong enough to resist forever.”

“I know that. And you are strong enough, Gel. I am sure of that.”

Gellert shook his head. “Please don’t say it like that. It will make it even harder when I lose control.”

“That will not happen.” Albus did his best to make Gellert believe him. Because he was positive that he could resist those things. Gellert was stronger than he thought.

“You don’t know that.” Gellert’s voice was barely a whisper and Albus could hear the insecurity in his tone. Gellert looked at him sadly. “As I said. It might work now. But in a few years?” He shrugged. “Right now, everything is fine. I am happy. However, it won’t stay like this forever. And maybe then old dreams will be tempting enough to make me change my mind?”

“You forget one thing.” Albus threw in calmly. When Gellert just frowned at him, he smiled slightly. “You are not alone in this. Whatever happens, I’ll be by your side. And together, we can get through this. No matter if the times are good or bad. I won’t leave you, Gel.”

The sad expression on Gellert’s face told Albus that something else was bothering him. “What is it? You look like there’s something else.”

“I had a dream. A few nights ago.” Gellert began hesitantly. He had told Albus about his dreams a few times by now. Sometimes, they even came true. But just as often, Gellert was plagued by nightmares and they were just normal dreams.

“What was it about?”

Gellert closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Why did he look so scared again? “It was about us. We were much older. You were a teacher at Hogwarts, Albus.” While saying that, Gellert opened his eyes to smile slightly. “And I was… well, I don’t know where I was, to be honest. It seemed to be a meeting. An old building made of stone, people were sitting all around me. Witches and wizards. And there were Aurors. I don’t know what I was doing there, but apparently, the people were listening to what I said. And then a fight broke out. Most of the people escaped, but a few Aurors were killed. And then there was a man. A young wizard with red hair and a suitcase. He tried to fight me, along with a few others.” Gellert paused. “A few could escape, the man with the red hair as well. Most Aurors didn’t survive the evening.” Gellert ran a hand through his hair again. “It didn’t look like we were standing side by side then. More like they asked you to fight me.”

Albus didn’t know what to say. He hoped that this was just a normal dream. A nightmare; something people had once in a while. He knew one thing. He could never fight Gellert. No matter what happened. Probably not even if he tried to conquer the world.

“It was just a dream.” Albus said calmly and thought about hugging Gellert now. “Nothing of importance. You had a nightmare, Gellert.”

He didn’t seem to be convinced. “It felt different.” He muttered and Albus shook his head.

“Just listen to me. You might have those dreams that come true once in a while. But that doesn’t mean that every dream has to be like that. And let us just assume that you saw the future, which I do not believe. What makes you think that it really has to come like that? Isn’t there a chance that we can still change it? Nothing is settled now, the future at least.”

“I don’t want those things to happen.” Gellert admitted quietly. “It was terrible to think that we could stand against each other in the future. And that I might be the one responsible for it. Because that is what will happen if I lose control and give in to the Dark Arts. Or the Hallows.”

“You won’t lose control.” Albus said firmly. “I won’t let you.”

Slowly, Gellert’s expression softened. “Albus…” He whispered, but he shook his head.

“I will never let you lose control. And now I will promise you something. I will never leave you, Gel. I haven’t said it before because I always thought you knew that. We will go through all this together. No matter what happens.”

Gellert had a shocked expression on his face. “You still want to be with me?” He asked and it sounded as if Albus was completely insane. “After what I did? And what I told you…?”

“I already said that it should stay in the past.” Albus said calmly and couldn’t stop the small smile from appearing on his lips. “And the future isn’t set. We can make it through all those things. Together. If you want to have me by your side.” He hesitated. “You know what I think of the Dark Arts. And that I could try to prevent you from fulfilling your dreams. It is your choice, if you want to have me with you then.”

Gellert shook his head slowly. “You’re crazy. Of course I want you by my side, Albus. There’s nothing I want more.” He took a step towards him hesitantly, as if he was not sure that Albus would stay when he got closer. Slowly, Gellert reached out to touch Albus’ cheek. They both leaned in slowly, but right before their lips touched, Gellert hesitated. So Albus closed the last distance between them and kissed Gellert.

The kiss was even more hesitant than their first one – the things they had talked about were still on their minds. However, Albus couldn’t be happier than in this moment. When Gellert wrapped his arms around Albus, he noticed that they were fitting together perfectly. When they pulled back after what seemed like hours, Gellert smiled shyly. “Who knows, maybe my dreams are about to change?” He whispered and placed both his hands on Albus’ cheeks. “A life with you sounds more tempting than any magic in this world can ever be.”

Then he leaned in to kiss him again.


	11. Meditation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

“Close your eyes and try to relax. Do not think of anything at all, that would only make it more complicated. Breathe in deeply. And try to relax further. That’s good. And now think of something positive. I always try to search for my happiest memory. Sometimes, it has been me standing on a lake, looking at the most beautiful castle one could imagine. Other times, I am with my family. We all had been very young and we were in a forest, playing a game. Our parents had been there as well. But it is up to you, you can choose whatever you want.”

“I remember it. The day in the forest. I don’t know what we’ve been playing back then, but it was a beautiful day. One of the last –“

“Ariana, stay focused.” Albus warned her in a soft tone. “A positive memory.”

“Alright.” She sighed and tried to relax again. Albus watched her closely and was glad when the look on her face became less troublesome.

“You can nod when you have found a memory.”

After a few minutes, she did.

Albus continued: “Now let the memory aside and just concentrate on the feeling of happiness you had in that moment. I know it might sound impossible, but you can do it. Take your time, you can not force this. Just concentrate and remain focused.”

This time, she didn’t move for more than just a few minutes. In the meantime, Albus closed his eyes and thought about his happiest memory as well. It had been only two days ago, which surprised him. Those past days had gone by far too fast. Probably, because Gellert didn’t leave his side the whole time. He had just gone home to sleep and when his aunt had needed his help the previous day. Albus’ siblings had noticed that something was different immediately, even if he and Gellert didn’t do anything to show their new relationship. They didn’t hold hands or touch each other in any way. When Gellert went home in the evening, Ariana had told Albus that the looks they threw at each other had told her enough to know what was going on.

Albus couldn’t stop himself from smiling, the butterflies in his stomach returned every time he thought of Gellert and his brilliant smile. And the way his touch felt… He couldn’t think of this right now. He had told Ariana to stay focused and the same was meant for him. After a few deep breaths, the butterflies vanished.

When Albus opened his eyes again, he saw that Ariana was still sitting there with the concentrated expression on her face. And her shoulders were tensed again. “You can not force it. You have to stay relaxed, Ari. Just think of everything that makes you happy, I know that there are many things. If it makes it easier you can also tell me about them.”

Slowly, the tension in her shoulders lessened. “I like being with you three, you and Aberforth and Gellert. Somehow, everything feels complete when you are all around. And I love to help Abe with the goats, they are so sweet. And in the forest, we always see more animals. Birds, sometimes a squirrel, maybe even a rabbit. However, they run away when they hear us, the goats are too noisy. And it makes me happy to be in the garden, to take care of the flowers. Just like mommy had always done it…” She paused and Albus feared that she was going to be sad again, but then a wide smile appeared on Ariana’s lips. “Albus, I think I’ve found something.” Her voice was hesitant, however the smile remained.

“That’s good. Try to think of it some more. And especially of how you were feeling in that moment.”

Ariana nodded and Albus smiled. Maybe this was really going to work.

A movement in the corner of his eyes caught his attention and when he looked in the direction, he saw Gellert standing in the doorframe of the kitchen. There was an amused expression on his face – probably because Albus and Ariana were sitting in the grass opposite from each other – but there was something else as well. Albus knew Gellert well enough to interpret the looks on his face and if he was right, he could see concern now. He didn’t tell Gellert about his idea before, there hadn’t been the time. The idea of meditating with Ariana just came to his mind this morning and he had taken her outside once Aberforth had left with the goats. His brother would have never allowed him to do this with his sister. And Gellert had to help his aunt in the household this morning, so he hadn’t been there when Albus explained his idea to Ariana.

She had been hesitant at first since she didn’t want to hurt him. However, Albus had told her that it wouldn’t happen. After all, he could take care of himself and he had his wand close by, just in case she would lose control. Which she wouldn’t, he was sure of that. He wanted to make her think of positive memories, things that made her happy. Her magic always showed itself when she was upset or angry – maybe they could change that to positive feelings as well? And Albus was sure that no one would get hurt when she was happy. And just maybe this was the first step to controlling it – this had been Gellert’s idea, to be honest.

Albus focused on Ariana again and noticed that she was still smiling softly. He decided that he could continue now. When he looked at Gellert once more, Albus was glad to see that he was still standing in front of the house. He didn’t want Ariana to get distracted.

“Now that you have found the positive memory, let the feeling overtake you. Concentrate on the pure happiness you felt in that moment. And then think of something else. Something beautiful. Let us start with something easy. Wouldn’t it be beautiful if the grass around us would be full of flowers? They can look however you want. You just have to imagine it. Try to see it in front of you while you stay focused on the happiness of your memory. I know this sounds complicated, but it’s very easy, I promise.” He waited for a few moments before he continued. “Now we come to the next step. Your magic is inside of you. It is a part of you no one can take away. If you concentrate very much, you can feel it. It is like a warm feeling that runs through your body. Happiness can make the feeling even stronger. Can you feel it?” After some time, Ariana shook her head. “Try again.” Albus said quickly before she could open her eyes. “It is there, it might just be hard to find it for the first time. I can help you, if you want it.”

He didn’t plant to suggest this. Nevertheless, he really wanted to make this work. For Ariana. When his sister nodded hesitantly, Albus closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and shoved all thoughts aside.

His talent for Legilimency had shown itself for the first time in his second year at Hogwarts. He had been outside with Elphias and it had been one of the few times they had a fight. Suddenly, Albus had been able to hear Elphias’ thoughts and he knew what his friend was feeling. It had overwhelmed him so much that Elphias had taken him to the hospital wing. Of course they hadn’t been able to help him there. However, one of the teachers, Professor Bright, knew what happened. And since then, he taught Albus Legilimency and Occlumency in the evenings. He had said once that Albus was very talented and that it would be a waste not to help him improve his abilities. In his last year at Hogwarts, Professor Bright announced that he had never seen someone who had learned so fast. And he told Albus that he should use his gift carefully. Albus had promised him to do just that.

Those thoughts came to his mind for half a second before he focused on Ariana again. She flinched when he entered her mind, but she didn’t let go of the happy feeling inside of her. It touched Albus to see that she trusted him so much.

The memory she had chosen was really beautiful. It was a sunny day in the spring, many years ago. Ariana had been a little girl. She was in the garden with their mother, they were talking about flowers. It was the day Ariana got to know everything about plants and how to take care of them. The door of the kitchen had opened and two boys came running into the garden, both laughing. He recognized Aberforth and himself immediately, though Albus didn’t remember very much from that day. He let go of the memory and began to search for the actual reason he had entered Ariana’s mind. And it was not hard to find. Her magic was everywhere and Albus had never before seen someone shine so brightly – with one exception. He pushed the feeling of Ariana’s magic to her conscious mind carefully and hoped that it wouldn’t overwhelm her.

He knew that Ariana felt it when he heard her surprised gasp. “Albus…” She whispered and he nodded, even if she couldn’t see it.

“Now think of everything at once. Embrace the feeling of the magic. Keep your happy memory in mind. And then imagine how the garden would look with the most beautiful flowers you can imagine.”

And apparently, she did. Albus withdrew from her mind and opened his eyes. He felt something wet on his cheeks and realized that he was crying. Ariana was crying as well, but there was this happy smile on her lips that showed how she was feeling right now.

And that’s when he noticed it. All around them, flowers were growing in the grass. There were roses, violets and lilies. Albus realized that those had been the favourite flowers of their mother and he let out a shaky laugh. “You did it, Ariana!” He exclaimed loudly and then his sister opened her eyes.

She looked around slowly, disbelief written all over her face. When she reached out to touch one of the flowers, more tears ran down her cheeks. “Albus…” Before he knew what was happening, Ariana threw herself into his arms. And then she began to cry – he wasn’t sure if she was just surprised by what she had done or if it was happiness.

“I knew you can do it!” He whispered into her ear.

There were footsteps getting closer to them and Albus turned around to see Gellert standing in front of them. He was smiling widely and when their eyes met, Albus noticed that they were shining. “That was amazing.” Gellert whispered and Albus smiled back at him.

When Ariana let go, they both stood up. “Gellert, look what I’ve done!” Her voice was excited and once she had hugged Gellert, she began to walk through the garden, looking at all the flowers she had created. The tears on her face had already vanished.

“You’re crying.” Gellert muttered and wiped away the tears on Albus’ cheeks.

Albus smiled at him. “It’s just…” He gestured at the flowers all around them. “I’m so happy for her.”

“You have to tell me how you managed to do this.” Gellert’s hands wandered from his cheeks to Albus’ neck.

“Meditation.” Albus muttered and he chuckled.

“Only you can pull off something like that.” Slowly, Gellert ran a hand down his back and Albus shivered. He knew that Ariana was busy with the flowers. Nevertheless, it was a strange feeling to stand here with Gellert like this when someone else was around.

“It’s nothing.” Albus protested.

“You’re too modest.” Gellert looked at him for a few moments in silence, a frown on his face. “You helped her. When she couldn’t feel her magic.” He moved closer so that their foreheads were touching. “You never told me that you were this good at Legilimency.”

“I told you that my teacher at school taught me Legilimency and Occlumency in the evenings when he realized that I had a talent for it.”

“Seems like you’ve been very talented. If it’s this easy for you.”

Albus shrugged, not sure what to say now.

“I’ve tried it once. And I have to admit that I wasn’t very good.” Gellert laughed nervously. Albus thought it was cute that he didn’t like to admit when he wasn’t good at something.

“I could try to help you with it.” He offered without thinking about it.

Gellert’s eyes widened. “You would do that?”

Albus nodded. “Of course. Though I do not know if I would be a good teacher.”

“I’m sure of that.” The determination in Gellert’s voice made him raise his eyebrows. To his surprise, Gellert blushed. “Don’t ask me why, I just know it.”

Albus wrapped his arms around him. “You’re amazing.” He whispered into Gellert’s ear and then they just stood there, arms wrapped around each other, and watched Ariana jumping through the garden happily.

* * *

Ariana had agreed to repeat the meditating immediately. She had been happy the entire day and couldn’t stop looking at the flowers. She even had picked some of them which were now standing in a vase on the kitchen table. When Albus asked her not to tell Aberforth of the things they’d done, Ariana had agreed hesitantly. She didn’t like to have secrets from Aberforth, but Albus knew that it was necessary. Otherwise, his brother would be very angry.

That’s why they told Aberforth that Gellert and Albus were responsible for the flowers in the garden. Albus told him that they did it to make Ariana happy. Since that was true, Aberforth didn’t ask more questions. He just walked into the garden with Ariana and let her show him all the beautiful flowers there.

Albus and Gellert watched them from the kitchen door. Gellert had his arms wrapped around Albus’ waist from behind and he couldn’t be happier than in this moment.

“Maybe we can really help her to control it.” Albus muttered.

“You’ve proven that it’s possible.” Gellert whispered thoughtfully.

“It was amazing, Gel. Her magic is there, inside of her. And it shines so bright, I’ve only seen one person whose magic is even brighter.”

Slowly, Gellert turned him around in his arms so that they were facing each other. “And who is that?” Gellert asked curiously and Albus smiled softly.

“Can’t you imagine?”

* * *

Once they were in Albus’ room, Gellert locked the door and pointed at it with his wand. Albus didn’t hear the spell he used, but he had a good idea which one it was. This time, no one would interrupt them.

Gellert put his wand down on the nightstand and pushed Albus towards the bed. When his knees hit the mattress, he fell down on the bed. With a chuckle, Gellert followed him and began to kiss Albus fiercely. They stayed like this for some time, their tongues fighting for dominance. In the meantime, Gellert ran his hands up and down Albus’ back, while Albus’ hands were in Gellert’s hair.

“You are amazing.” Gellert whispered between two kisses and flipped them around so that Albus was lying on top of him. Without further hesitation, Gellert’s hands were under his shirt and Albus moaned.

“And you are perfect.” Albus replied which made Gellert stop for a few seconds. A soft smile appeared on his lips, even if his eyes were still dark with want.

“Albus…” He began hesitantly and only continued when Albus nodded encouragingly. “I love you. I know it may be too early to say this… But it’s true. I knew it from the moment I first saw you.”

Albus smiled at him widely. “I love you too, Gellert.” He whispered and then they kissed softly. However, it didn’t last long before Gellert’s movements became more urgent. His hands were under Albus’ shirt again and finally, Albus found the courage to touch him as well. Gellert’s reaction surprised both of them. He moaned and took off Albus’ shirt. Then, he flipped them around. Now Albus was lying under Gellert, his weight pressing him into the mattress. They looked at each other wide-eyed for a few moments, before Albus smiled widely and touched Gellert’s cheek.

At the soft touch, Gellert closed his eyes and put his hand above Albus’. “I really don’t know what I would do without you, Albus.” Gellert’s tone was soft and he leaned down to kiss Albus again, this time more carefully. Slowly, Albus ran his hand down Gellert’s back until he reached the hem of his shirt. When Gellert smiled encouragingly, Albus took it off as well.

“You’re beautiful.” Albus whispered and ran a hand through Gellert’s hair. He loved the feeling of those soft locks in his hands.

“And you’re breath-taking.”

Albus chuckled and kissed Gellert again. This time more urgently.


	12. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

“I’m gonna miss you, Ari.” Aberforth whispered and hugged his sister tightly. They stood there like this for some time and it seemed as if Ariana never wanted to let him go again. When Aberforth let go off her and loosened her grip around his waist carefully, she began to sob.

“I don’t want you to go.” She muttered and looked up at him with wide eyes.

Aberforth knelt down in front of her and took her hands. “You know that I have to go, Ari. I need to go to school. It’s just one more year. And before you really realize that I am gone, I will already be back for Christmas. And then we’ll celebrate together.” He wiped away the tears on her cheeks. “And I’ll write you a letter every week.” Aberforth promised with a soft smile on his lips.

“You will?” Ariana muttered and he nodded immediately.

“I promise.”

She looked at him for some time, before she finally nodded.

“And you will look after the goats for me, right?” Aberforth asked and now Ariana’s expression changed. Her eyes began to shine and she smiled while nodding profusely.

“Of course. And Albus promised that he’d also help me with that.”

At those words, Aberforth seemed to remember that Albus was also there, standing in the doorframe of their house and watching the departure of his brother. The scene in front of him nearly broke his heart – he hated to see Ariana this upset. However, there was no way that Aberforth would miss his last year at school. He had tried to convince Albus that it was better if he stayed at Godric’s Hollow with Ariana, but Albus had argued that he could also take care of his sister. And that Aberforth needed to finish school, if he ever wanted to do something real in his life. They had argued very much – luckily, Gellert had been there and had taken Ariana outside to show her some things in the garden. Once Gellert had left, Aberforth had argued that he also didn’t finish school – he didn’t miss the chance to mention that he had been expelled – which had made Albus even angrier. They had shouted at each other for a long time. In the end, Albus had won the argument. Aberforth had promised to return to Hogwarts one last time. His voice had sounded bitter while making that promise, however Albus didn’t care about that. He was just glad that his brother would finish school. Nevertheless, the mentioning of Gellert and the fact that he didn’t finish school had made Albus feel uneasy. He was worried for Gellert’s future. Everyone who met him saw that he was brilliant, but would that be enough?

“You better take good care of her.” Aberforth’s voice ripped Albus out of his thoughts and he nodded. “And don’t leave her alone for too long. And don’t you dare upset her. And –“

“Don’t be so hard to him, Aberforth.” Ariana interrupted him softly. “We will get along well. You don’t have to worry so much.”

Aberforth stared at his sister for a few moments, before his gaze wandered to Albus again. He looked at his brother seriously. “I will take care of her, I promise.” He repeated the words he had said to his brother a thousand times in the past days.

Aberforth narrowed his eyes, but something in Albus’ expression seemed to calm him. He hugged Ariana once more and stood up. To Albus’ surprise, he didn’t walk towards the gate. He stopped in front of Albus and without saying anything, he hugged him as well. It wasn’t a long hug, but it told Albus everything he needed to know. That Aberforth was grateful for him being there. And maybe that he had finally accepted him as a real part of their family.

Without saying anything, Aberforth walked to the gate where his suitcase was already waiting for him. Then he made his way towards the house of another wizarding family who lived at Godric’s Hollow and whose daughter would have her first year at Hogwarts. They would take a Portkey to London and had invited Aberforth to join them.

One he was out of sight, Ariana looked at Albus questioningly. “When will Gellert be here?” She asked slowly, her voice still sounding sad. Even if they got along better now, Gellert didn’t want to be there when Aberforth said goodbye to his siblings. He had told Albus that it was a moment for the family and no one else. So he had stayed at home, probably reading a book. A few days ago, Albus had lent him one about Occlumency and Legilimency – it had been a present of his teacher at Hogwarts, Mr. Bright.

“He should be here soon.” Albus sait with a smile and led Ariana inside the house. They went to the kitchen and Ariana looked at the vase with the flowers on the table. They were already dried up and would have to be exchanged. Those had been the last of the flowers which had grown with Ariana’s magic.

“They were so beautiful.” Ariana whispered and touched one of the flowers carefully. However, it didn’t take the touch well. One of the leaves sank to the ground slowly.

“And I am sure that you can let grow new ones.” Albus said softly and sat down next to his sister. “We can try it again whenever you want. Or maybe something else, I’ve got a few more ideas.”

Ariana smiled at him. “Thank you, Albus. It means a lot to me that you help me with this.”

He chuckled. “That’s what a brother’s there for.”

Ariana’s expression became sad again. “You know that it’s not true.”

Her sad tone made the smile on Albus’ lips fade slowly. “What do you mean by that?”

She sighed heavily. “Aberforth is also my brother. And don’t get me wrong, I love him very much. And you too, Albus. And Gellert, even if he’s not part of our family. Aberforth does everything for me, he takes me outside, he plays with me in the garden, he tells me stories. However, he’s always so careful with me. He acts like I’m going to break if something bad happens. Or something that I don’t like. He tries so hard to make me happy, sometimes I even think he tries  _too_ hard. He forgets himself and that he can be happy too. Abe always says that he’s so careful with me because he doesn’t want me to get hurt. I know that I can hurt people when I’m not careful and when I lose control. You know what nearly happened some time ago… But when he’s always like that around me, I have in mind what could happen all the time. I always fear that someone will get hurt. And with you, that’s different.” She paused for a few seconds, still not looking at Albus. “Aberforth is afraid of me. He would never admit it, but I see it in the way he behaves around me.” Finally, she looked Albus in the eyes. “With you, it’s different. You are not afraid. You even bring yourself in danger to help me. And you do not care about the risks. And with Gellert, it’s the same. You both just want to help.” 

“Ariana…” Albus began slowly, not sure what to say. He had never thought about it like this. For him, it had been just logical that they needed to help Ariana, no matter how difficult it would be. And of course Gellert wouldn’t let him take the risk alone.

“You are very different, you and Aberforth.” Ariana finished her speech. “And don’t say that it’s normal to help me again, you know very well that it isn’t. What you helped me do last week, that’s something not many people would have been able to. You are a very special wizard, Albus.”

Albus cleared his throat, Ariana’s words had made him speechless. “Have I told you that I love you, Ariana?” He asked slowly and when she nodded, he hugged her tightly.

“And I love you, Albus.”

They stayed like this for some time, until Albus reached for his wand in his pocket. He pointed at the flowers on the table and muttered a spell. Slowly, they regained their colours and after a few seconds, they looked like they just came from the garden. Ariana’s eyes were shining. “Thank you, Albus.” She whispered and he smiled at her.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the front door and Albus knew that Gellert was there. He just wanted to make his way to let him in, when something else came to his mind. “Oh, Ariana?” He asked and looked over his shoulder to see that his sister was still watching the flowers.

“Yes, Albus?” She replied without looking at him.

“Aberforth is not afraid of you. He could never be. He’s so worried that it nearly breaks his heart that he cannot help you.” Without waiting for her reply, Albus opened the door for Gellert, who was already waiting with raised eyebrows.

* * *

“She misses your brother.” Gellert muttered and ran his hands down Albus’ back. Once Albus hat let him in, Gellert had greeted Ariana who just smiled at him sadly. However, the book he brought out of his bag made her smile again. It was a book with fairy tales and a very famous one, to be exact. Albus had been very surprised to see that Gellert just gave it to his sister. _The Tales of Beedle the Bard._ He had just raised his eyebrows at Gellert and at the sheepish look on his face, Albus hadn’t been able to stop himself anymore. He had kissed Gellert – right in front of his sister. But she hadn’t even noticed it, she had been too consumed with the book. After hugging Gellert and a quick ‘Thank you!’ Ariana had made her way to the couch to read the first story. 

Albus and Gellert had gone upstairs to Albus’ room then and Gellert had pulled him down onto the bed immediately. Then he had wrapped his arms around Albus, who still shivered at Gellert’s touch. He couldn’t understand why someone so perfect wanted him, of all people.

“Of course she does, she loves him.” Albus whispered and Gellert raised an eyebrow. Their faces were only inches apart.

“She loves you too.”

Albus nodded slowly. “But I don’t think it’s the same.”

Gellert frowned. “Why not?”

With a sigh, Albus repeated what Ariana had told him downstairs. That she feared that Aberforth was afraid of her and that he always tried to be careful with her. And that Albus acted completely different.

“You say it like it’s something bad.” Gellert remarked slowly, his blue eyes locked with Albus’.

“I don’t think that it’s bad.” He paused, searching for the right words. “It made me realize how much she trusts me.”

“And you don’t want to disappoint her.” He should have known that Gellert used to notice everything – and that he understood Albus better than anyone else.

He wrapped his arms around Gellert’s shoulders, pulling him even closer. Now Albus was able to hide his face in Gellert’s neck. The growl told him that he was not happy about the breaking of the eye contact. When Albus didn’t reply anything to Gellert’s statement, he began to play with Albus’ hair.

“You will not disappoint her, if you want to hear what I think.” Gellert whispered after a few minutes of silence. “She knows that you’re trying very hard to help her. And she would accept it, if it would not work. She’s grateful that you are not letting her alone in this.”

“I could never do that.” Albus muttered. “And I don’t think that I could stand it when something happened to her while we try to set her magic free.”

“Nothing will happen to her. She will be alright, Albus. After all, she’s got the best teacher in the world.” The certainty in Gellert’s voice made him chuckle. “What’s so funny?” Gellert asked when Albus pulled away far enough to look into his eyes.

He smiled softly and touched a strand of hair that had fallen into Gellert’s face. He loved the feeling of the blond locks. “I doubt that I would be a good teacher.” He said simply.

“The mediation was incredible and you know that.” Gellert argued. Suddenly, there was a gleam in his eyes and he smiled cheekily. “Or didn’t I show you that well enough?”

At the thought of that night, Albus’ cheeks burned. Gellert had shown him very well how impressed he had been. And they had shown each other their love. Now Gellert leaned in to kiss him, but Albus pulled away after a few seconds. “It’s not that.” He muttered and began to play with Gellert’s hair again. The look on his face told Albus that he was enjoying it very much. “I just don’t want to make her hope when everything we do will be useless in the end.”

“Something like that could never be useless. Every step she takes, no matter how small it is, will help her to gain control. And it will help her to become the person she really is. You give her confidence, Albus. You make her believe in herself. That could never be useless.”

Albus touched Gellert’s cheek softly. “I want this to work.”

“Then we’ll make it work.” Gellert replied simply. And maybe, just maybe, it was that simple. Albus wanted to have the same confidence as Gellert. Perhaps it was time to set his doubts aside and just stay in the moment?

“You say it like it’s easy.”

Gellert nodded, a smile on his lips. “Because it is. You just make it difficult with all your overthinking.”

“I wish I could have your confidence.” Albus admitted slowly.

Now it was Gellert’s time to chuckle softly. “You’re perfect.” He kissed him quickly. “And your doubts are sweet. And let me tell you something else.” Now Gellert moved so that he was able to whisper into Albus’ ear. “We all have doubts sometimes.” When he leaned back, Albus saw the serious expression on Gellert’s face. “Yes, even I do have them.” He said before Albus could ask. “And in the past weeks, I thought a lot of everything. Of what brought me here, if it was right or wrong, what he future holds…”

“Right or wrong?” Suddenly, Albus was nervous. They had talked about the reasons for Gellert moving to Godric’s Hollow before and Gellert had assured him that it was good – very good, to be exact. Nevertheless, Albus couldn’t stop the fear that took control over him now.

Suddenly, Gellert’s expression softened and he took Albus’ face in his hands. “It brought me to you, so it could never be wrong.” He whispered. “I love you, Albus Dumbledore. Never doubt that. It will never change, as long as I live. It will always be you. And all that matters is that we are together now.” Gellert leaned in slowly and then they kissed – Albus couldn’t say for how long. He just knew that they broke apart later, both gasping for air. “Just in case you want to know it, I think it was wrong. What I did back at school.”

The look on Albus’ face must have been surprised since Gellert laughed. “Don’t look at me like that. After all,  _you_ made me realize that.” 

Albus smiled. “I’m happy to hear those words from you.” He paused, not sure if he could ask his next question. However, the patient look on Gellert’s face gave him the courage to do so. “Do you still think that you could not resist when it comes to the Dark Arts?”

Even before he finished his question, Gellert tensed. But it didn’t last long. He took a deep breath and relaxed again; the smile had left his lips. “I do think that I can resist, yes. I already told you that my dreams for the future are about to change.” He sighed. “But I don’t want to promise anything, Albus. Not yet.”

Albus nodded, his worry was vanishing again slowly. It was obvious that Gellert meant it and he believed him. “You don’t have to promise anything.” He whispered and kissed him again. The kiss didn’t last long when Albus noticed something else. “You gave Ariana the book.”

Gellert touched Albus’ hair carefully and began to play with it. “It surprised you.” He stated without looking into his eyes.

“You always said that it contains the truth about the Hallows and how it all began.” Albus remarked.

“It does. But it also makes Ariana happy to have it. Isn’t that worth much more than a few objects?” Albus eyes widened when he realized what Gellert just said. Without thinking about it, he buried his hands in Gellert’s hair and pulled him closer. Then he kissed him passionately. First, Gellert gasped in surprise. But soon he was kissing Albus back and moved so that Albus was lying on top of him. Gellert ran his hands down Albus’ back and moaned when their tongues began to fight for dominance. When they broke apart, both breathing heavily, Gellert grinned.

Albus smiled back at him, feeling so happy that he thought his heart would burst. “I can’t believe you just said that.” He whispered and Gellert touched his cheek.

“And I mean it. Why should anyone want to conquer death when he could have what I have now? Screw those Hallows and the Dark Arts, if it means I get to love you I will gladly give up both.”

Albus looked at Gellert for some time, searching for any signs of doubt in his eyes. When he found none, he smiled even wider. He was fully aware of the fact that Gellert had promised nothing – he could still return to the Dark Arts and leave to look for the Hallows, and those thoughts nearly broke Albus’ heart – but right now he also knew that Gellert meant it. That those things weren’t important and that he only cared about having Albus around. And that was something they could start with. And maybe he could make Gellert happy and he would forget all those thoughts forever. Just maybe. Albus had hope.

Suddenly, Gellert flipped them around and now he was lying on top of Albus. “Stop thinking too much, Albus.” Gellert muttered against his lips. “I’m not going anywhere. I love you.”

“And I love you too.” Albus whispered before he finally brushed all his thoughts aside and just concentrated on the feeling of Gellert’s body against his.


	13. An Unexpected Visitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

The next weeks, their days began to follow a certain pattern.

In the morning, Albus and Ariana had breakfast together. Gellert joined them most of the time – he seldom went home to sleep there, he preferred to stay with Albus – and was just missing when his aunt wanted his help. After that, Albus would help Ariana with the goats. Sometimes, she even did that alone, especially when Albus was working on his latest assay. When the weather was good, Ariana spent the entire day in the garden. On a very beautiful and sunny day, Gellert and Albus had even taken her outside to walk through the forest. And they had shown her a lake Gellert had discovered some time ago, when he had been walking around aimlessly for hours, thinking about magic and Hallows and – most important – of love.

In the afternoon, they would all cook together. Or you could say that Ariana taught Albus and Gellert how to cook. It was obvious that she enjoyed being able to tell them new things as well. Because most of the afternoons, they were practicing. Now that Aberforth was gone, Albus could teach Ariana how to control her magic any time and didn’t have to worry about a fight with his brother. And Ariana seemed to be a fast learner. The first times, it had been very difficult for her to find her magical core and make use of it. But the more often she did it, the easier it got.

Most of the times, Gellert just watched them do those things. Albus noticed that he always had his wand close by, just in case something happened. Of course he could defend himself if Ariana lost control, but the thought that Gellert was looking out for his safety made his heart beat a little faster.

Next to his lessons with Ariana, Albus was also teaching Gellert to use Occlumency. This was not always easy. Gellert was able to control his thoughts very well, but sometimes he wanted to tease Albus. It ended with the two of them in bed instead of finishing their work every time. Nevertheless, Gellert was learning fast. And when he didn’t want to play with Albus, he was very serious during their lessons. Albus thought that they could start with Legilimency soon.

When Christmas got closer, Ariana began to get more exited. Aberforth would come back soon and she missed him very much. They exchanged letters every week. Albus had found her crying over them a few times since Aberforth left for Hogwarts. However, when more time passed, she wasn’t so sad anymore.

On a cold and rainy evening in November, Ariana and Albus were sitting on the couch together. Gellert wasn’t there, which was unusual by now. He was at his aunt’s house because she needed his help. Before he left, Gellert had muttered something about a cat that always entered the house of Bathilda and she couldn’t scare her off. Somehow, the thought of Gellert hunting a cat amused Albus. He would have loved to go with him, but then Ariana would be alone. And he needed to talk to her about something.

“I really don’t know what I can get Aberforth for Christmas.” Ariana muttered and Albus looked up from his book.

“Do you have something in mind?” When she shook her head, he put the book aside.

“It’s not like I could go out and look for something.” Ariana whispered and looked down on her hands. Since they were teaching her how to control her magic, it made Ariana even more upset that she couldn’t just go outside like everyone else.

“Hey, Ariana, look at me.” Albus took her hands and squeezed them softly. When she looked up, he smiled. “It doesn’t have to stay like this forever. You are learning fast and we’re making so much progress. I know that you can go out like everyone else sometime. I can’t promise you that it will be soon, but it will be possible.”

Her sad smile nearly broke Albus’ heart. “I know that, Albus. And I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your help. I think without you, something terrible would have already happened again.”

He shook his head. “Don’t say that.”

“But it’s true.” She replied immediately. “Not too long ago, something bad happened. And you nearly died.”

With a sigh, Albus let go off her hands. “Try not to think about it. It’s in the past and no one can change that anymore.”

They sat there in silence for some time and Albus thoughts began to return to his last Occlumency lesson with Gellert (well, they wanted to practice, but Gellert’s thoughts had been very naughty and it led to something else…) when Ariana’s voice took him back to reality.

“So what will I get for Aberforth?” She asked again.

“Do you have ideas?” Albus asked.

She hesitated a few seconds before she shook her head. “Well, there may be something… But I won’t be able to get it, so I can forget the idea either way.”

He raised his eyebrows. “What would that be?”

“Just drop it, Albus. It’s nothing.”

With a sigh, Albus sat up and crossed his arms. “Ariana, will you tell me what’s on your mind freely, or should I just get the information I need?” He asked in a serious tone.

Ariana looked at him wide-eyed for half a second before she shook her head. “You would never do that, Albus!” She replied calmly. “You’re not that kind of person.”

When he just grinned at her, she shifted in her seat, an insecure expression on her face.

“You know, I’ve been spending lots of time with Gellert lately, and I’m not sure if he would hesitate…”

“Oh come on, he wouldn’t do that as well! He’s far too polite for that.” Ariana protested. Nevertheless, there was still insecurity in her eyes. They both knew that Gellert could be very polite when he wanted to be, but he had another side as well. It didn’t show itself often in the past months, but it was still there. And when he got angry, it was best just to drop the subject and cover up. It had happened once when Ariana was around and his anger had scared her very much. Albus hadn’t been scared and he had tried to calm him down, which had succeeded after a long time.

Albus chuckled. “You’re right, he would never do that. And I wouldn’t do that as well.” He added and Ariana relaxed again.

“Alright, I’ll tell you. But don’t tell Aberforth about it.” When Albus nodded, she continued. “It may be stupid, but I’ve been thinking about it for some time now… I would like to paint, Albus.” She said it very fast and first, Albus wasn’t sure if he had understood her correctly. However, she repeated it, more confident this time. After saying it, she looked at him like she expected him to laugh.

Albus would never do such a thing to her. And to be honest, he liked the idea of her doing something she liked. He smiled widely. “That’s a very good idea, Ariana! And you shouldn’t have to worry, I can get you all the supplies you need.” He offered immediately.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “You would really do that?”

He nodded. “Or course. I’d love to help you.”

Suddenly, he couldn’t speak anymore. Ariana hugged him very tightly and Albus was glad that she wasn’t stronger. After some time, she let go off him, still grinning. “Thank you!”

He chuckled. “You don’t have to thank me for that.”

Now she joined his laughter, however her voice remained serious. “I have to thank you for many things, Albus.”

Instead of answering, he just shook his head. After some time, Ariana looked at him questioningly. “You and Gellert.” She said simply and Albus raised his eyebrows.

“What about us?” He asked, his voice neutral. In the past weeks, Gellert and Albus had shown their affection for each other more openly when they were at Albus’ place. Aberforth wasn’t there anymore and they hoped that Ariana wouldn’t notice it. Nevertheless, Albus had already suspected that his sister knew about their relationship. When he had talked to Gellert about it, he just laughed. “Would you mind if she knew about us? I doubt that she would tell anyone else.” He had said simply and changed the subject without thinking about it anymore.

“You’re more than friends.” Ariana said now and confirmed Albus’ assumptions.

Apparently, his expression had been shocked because Ariana began to laugh. “Oh come on, Albus. Do you think that I’m stupid? I see the way you look at each other. And that you touch each other when you think that I don’t see it. And I’m really happy for you!” The last sentence took him by surprise, but before he could reply, Ariana hugged him again tightly.

“How long?” He asked simply and she understood his question. How long did she knew?

“About two weeks after Aberforth went to Hogwarts. You were downstairs, looking out of the window. And Gellert came to you and hugged you from behind.”

Albus felt himself blush and Ariana chuckled again. “It’s alright, really.”

“Are you sure?” He asked hesitantly. “After all, it’s unusual…” Albus didn’t know how to finish the sentence. It was unusual to be with another man? Most people wouldn’t accept it? Even call it disgusting?

“You make each other happy. And you really love each other. There could never be something wrong about that.” Ariana said simply and this time it was Albus who hugged her tightly.

“You’re amazing.” He whispered into her ear.

“Do you even notice it?” Ariana asked. “When we’re practicing Gellert is always with us, but he doesn’t do anything. He just sits there and watches us. Then he’s got that serious look on his face, like he’s already expecting problems and just waits to protect you… And not just then.” She stopped, searching for the right words. “It’s not difficult to see how important you are to him, Albus.”

Again, he was surprised about how much his sister noticed. When she mentioned that Gellert was always looking after him, the butterflies in Albus’ stomach returned. “And he is very important to me.” Albus said softly.

Ariana smiled. “I know.”

Albus raised an eyebrow and Ariana took his hands and squeezed them. “And Gellert knows that too, I’m sure of it.”

“Ariana…” Albus began slowly and when she just smiled, he decided to continue. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Don’t tell me that you want my advice for Gellert’s Christmas present.” She said it in a teasing tone. When Albus nodded, her eyes grew wide. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

Albus ran a hand through his hair nervously.

“My brother, the genius, doesn’t know what he should get his _boyfriend_ to Christmas?” She shook her head in disbelief and tried to look shocked. However, the soft smile on her face won. “I would love to help you, Albus.”

They spent the next hours discussing Albus’ present for Gellert.

* * *

_Dear Albus,_

_America is great. I am sure you would like it here very much. Last week, I visited New York. It is a beautiful city, even if it’s always crowded and never seems to sleep. From there, I have travelled to the west coast. The big cities are all exciting and the people here are very different from the ones at home. In the wizarding communities you have more rules and they are very strict. Especially when something concerns Muggles, or No-Majs, like they are called here. I bet some things would not have made you happy. Me neither, to be honest. However, the country is beautiful. Tomorrow, I am going to Canada. There, I will spent two more weeks. After that, I will be returning to England with a short detour to Iceland. Maybe we could see each other again around Christmas? And say hello to Gellert and your family. I hope you are all well._

_Your friend,_

_Elphias Doge_

Albus left his room, still smiling. The announcement that Elphias would visit again before Christmas excited him. He would love to hear all the stories about America. And he was especially interested in the people there. When Elphias said that they saw many things in a different – not necessarily positive – way, it had to be serious. Normally, his friend was very tolerant considering the manners of other people.

When he arrived in the kitchen, Ariana was already preparing dinner. Gellert hadn’t been there today, which made Albus worried. He had promised to come over as soon as the cat has been caught. Albus wondered what took him so long. After asking Ariana if she would be fine alone for a short time (she had rolled his eyes at him), Albus went to Bathilda Bagshot’s house.

Probably, he was overreacting. However, the thought that something was wrong wouldn’t leave him. Normally, he was at their place all the time. Maybe Bathilda got more work for him? Or he just needed time to think, that happened sometimes. But Gellert always told Albus about it before he vanished…

When he arrived at the house, he knocked and waited. Albus looked around slowly, but the streets of Godric’s Hollow were empty. Which wasn’t a surprise at this time of the day and with the bad weather.

“Albus, it’s good to see you.” Bathilda greeted him and stepped aside so he could enter the house. “You’re looking for Gellert, I assume. I’m sorry to say that, but he left some time ago. He got an unexpected visitor.” Bathilda explained when she saw the confused look on Albus’ face. He was surprised, someone had visited Gellert? But who could that be? Bathilda said unexpected, it seemed as if Gellert had been surprised as well. And he had never mentioned to Albus that he had contact to someone from his time before Godric’s Hollow…

“It’s someone from school.” The tone in which Bathilda said it made Albus suspicious. Her voice was cold and it sounded bitter. Apparently, she wasn’t happy about it.

“From school?” Albus repeated slowly. “He never mentioned his schoolmates.” He had mentioned them. And the stories about the people who had been Gellert’s friends at Durmstrang hadn’t been very nice. Mostly, they had liked the Dark Arts just as much as Gellert. And he had also told them about the Deathly Hallows… He had told Albus that it was all they had in common. His heart began to race when he thought of all the things the visitor could say to Gellert. He had always told Albus that he might not resist when the Dark Arts became interesting for him again…

“Are you alright, Albus? You are so pale.” Bathilda’s worried voice took him back to reality. Albus would have liked to scream. This morning, everything had been perfect. They had woken up together, Ariana had already prepared breakfast. Before leaving, Gellert had kissed Albus goodbye. There had been this gleam in his eyes, the one that always appeared when he was determined to come back to Albus as soon as possible.

And now a friend from Durmstrang had appeared here, at Godric’s Hollow. And Gellert had left with him.

He cleared his throat and smiled at Bathilda. At least he hoped that it looked like a smile and not a grimace. “I’m fine, it just surprised me.” He said calmly and Bathilda made a hissing noise.

“Don’t tell me that you’re fine with that boy who arrived here. He’s bad, I knew it the moment I saw him. And Gellert also didn’t look too happy to have him here. He was just chasing the cat when he arrived.”

Albus sighed. “I’m worried.” He admitted slowly.

“Then we’re two now.” Bathilda whispered and for a few seconds, Albus saw the fear in her eyes. She was also afraid that Gellert would turn towards the Dark Arts again.

Albus cleared his throat. “Now that I’m here, I can also catch the cat for you.”

* * *

It turned out that the cat was very fast. And liked to play with the ones who were trying to catch here. In the end, Albus had to use a spell to get hold of her. It was a small cat, and she was completely white with green eyes. “What are we going to do with her?” Albus asked and Bathilda smiled. It was the first time since Albus arrived. “Maybe your sister would like to have her own cat?” At that suggestion, Albus had to smile too.

He was just on his way home with the cat – luckily, she was tired and slept in his arms – when he heard voices. It was already dark and he was close to the church in the middle of the town. He would have just kept walking if he wouldn’t have recognized one of the voices. _Gellert._ Albus thought and couldn’t stop himself from walking a little closer to the church.

“Just think of it, Gellert. All the things we could do. You could do. It would give us power. Over the Muggles and even most of the wizards. It would change the world. You just must leave this place; I really don’t understand what kept you here for so long. Here, you’ve got nothing. And that won’t change. They were idiots when they expelled you from school. We all think that. And we would follow you, if you decided to change the world for good.” Albus shivered at the things the person said to Gellert. Power over Muggles and wizards? Gellert wouldn’t say yes to something like that, would he? _He would_ a small voice inside Albus’ mind said. _He would and you know that. He always wanted power. Did you really think that you could change him forever?_

“For the Greater Good.” Gellert replied calmly. “It is called for the Greater Good.”

Before Gellert could say anything else, Albus turned around and ran away. The outraged scream of the cat in his arms echoed through the night.


	14. The Greater Good?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was very fun to write back then and it's an important turning point in this story. I'd really like to hear your thoughts so far, that would be great. 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Later, he couldn’t say anymore how long he’d been running through the night. All he knew was that he dropped by at their house and gave the cat to Ariana. She had been so excited that she forgot to ask about Gellert. After hugging Albus tightly, she had taken the cat and began to play with her. Dinner had been forgotten as well. Albus was glad about it.

After telling Ariana something about Bathilda who needed help with something, he left again. And then he walked through the night aimlessly. In the end, he arrived at the tree in the forest where he’d kissed Gellert for the first time. Albus hadn’t even realized that his legs had taken him there. The rain had gotten stronger and he was soaked when he sat down under the tree. It was cold and windy, but Albus didn’t care. He already felt sick, so it didn’t matter.

“ _It’s called for the Greater Good.”_ Gellert had said. The Greater Good… Power over Muggles and Wizards. The Dark Arts. “ _I really don’t understand what kept you here for so long. Here, you’ve got nothing. And that won’t change.”_ Gellert hadn’t even said anything to those words. He didn’t argue when his friend told him that he could do much better than being here. That he could have all the power he ever dreamed of. _Change the world for good…_ Why on earth had that friend to visit Gellert? Everything had been fine, perfect even… And now it was destroyed. 

Albus’ world was destroyed. Again. First, with the death of his mother. And now Gellert would leave him.

He didn’t doubt it. The few things he heard were enough. The Greater Good. It had been Gellert’s dream, his obsession. And now the chance to make it come true was there. Someone had given Gellert the opportunity to leave Godric’s Hollow. To do all the things he wanted to do before he met Albus. Being one of the greatest wizards of all time.

Gellert had never promised Albus that he could resist forever. He had even told him that he might change his mind someday. However, Albus would have never imagined that the day came so soon. He thought they would have time, years even. How could he be so foolish? Gellert had always been controlled by his temper. Even if it seemed as if he’d been able to control it recently…

Albus leaned against the tree and closed his eyes. He had tried to prevent the tears from falling so hard – partly because of Ariana – but now he could let them flow freely. And he didn’t even try to stop the sobs that escaped his lips. In the past weeks, he had been dreaming of a life with Gellert. He had started to believe in a good future, for all of them. Aberforth was finishing school, Ariana was learning to control her magic and Gellert was there. Albus had even started to make plans! How stupid. Thinking that it could be this easy. Something Gellert had said some time ago had been on his mind there, that he’d seen Albus teaching at Hogwarts. Maybe Transfiguration or Defence Against the Dark Arts? It was tempting, the idea to teach children new things. And of course he’d been thinking of what Gellert could do as well. He didn’t finish school, but he was brilliant either way and Albus had hoped that it could help him. And maybe that he could help him as well.

That wouldn’t happen now. None of that.

Gellert had told Albus that he loved him. And Albus loved him too. He had thought that it was enough. Enough to make Gellert happy and most important, to make him stay.

Apparently, he’d been wrong.

He didn’t know what he should tell Ariana, when he got home and she asked why Gellert wasn’t there. And Aberforth… His brother had always told him that Gellert would disappear someday. Albus didn’t believe him. He had been convinced that he could give Gellert everything he wanted.

_It is called for the Greater Good._

_Power over Muggles and even most Wizards._

_We would follow you, if you decided to change the world for good._

Those things repeated themselves in Albus’ mind over and over. He shook his head and clenched his fists. He had to stop thinking about it! Why couldn’t those things just go away? He breathed in deeply and tried to relax. Then he hid his face in his hands.

In the distance, the sound of thunder announced that a storm was coming.

Albus didn’t look up.

* * *

He didn’t hear the footsteps coming closer. The sounds were drowned by the rain and the thunder. He only noticed that someone was coming closer when the person stepped onto a branch and it broke with a crack.

Albus knew that it was stupid not to raise his wand immediately – after all, he was alone in a forest at night – but to be honest, he didn’t care about that right now. It didn’t matter if someone was there who could attack him. He simply did not care. So he just remained sitting there, arms wrapped around his knees. He was shivering and probably still crying, but that didn’t matter as well. Gellert would leave him. The realization had taken all this strength.

“Oh my god, Albus.” A shocked voice whispered and when Albus opened his eyes, the light of a wand blinded him. He blinked a few times to get used to the light. What he saw there made him flinch.

In front of him stood a soaked man and he thought that he had never seen him this pale. Or worried. Gellert’s eyes were wide and Albus knew him well enough to say that it was fear he could see in them. His usually calm hand was shaking slightly when he lowered his wand slowly. And when he thought about it again, it was not just his hand. Gellert was shivering and his wet hair was a mess. He used just this moment to run his hand through it again – a gesture he always did when he was nervous. However, worst of all was the look on his face. Gellert looked  _devastated_ . If Albus’ heart would have been beating normally at this moment, he was sure that it would have stopped. 

“Albus.” Gellert whispered again and his voice was full of relief and fear at the same time. Before Albus could process what was happening, Gellert sank down onto his knees in front of him. “I found you.” Now that Gellert was closer, Albus could see that his eyes were red. Had he been crying? He still didn’t understand why he was here. He had thought that Gellert would already be gone to his new life.

Now he reached out with his hand, probably to touch Albus’ cheek. That’s when everything around him became clear again and Albus found the strength to move. He backed away from Gellert’s hand, not sure if he could stand it when Gellert touched him right now. When he touched him and was going to leave either way.

When the look on Gellert’s face has been devastated before, it had been nothing compared to now. He was looking at Albus wide-eyed, his hand still in the air where Albus’ face had been seconds ago. “Albus…” He began, insecurity in his voice.

“Why are you here?” At the cold tone in his voice, Gellert flinched.

“I’ve been looking for you for hours. You just disappeared and Ariana told me that you were with my aunt. But I’d been looking for you there as well and when she said that you left with the cat and didn’t return… I’ve been worried like hell, Albus.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Albus interrupted him harshly. “I mean why are you still here? At all?” He only hesitated for a second. “I heard you. You and your friend, back at the church.”

Gellert swallowed. He was as white as a sheet. “I already feared that.” His voice was barely a whisper. “It’s not what you think.”

“And what do I think, Gellert? Would you please enlighten me? Or am I wrong to think that this _friend_ of yours came here to remind you of what you really want in your life?” He spat the word friend and Gellert flinched again. “He offered you everything you ever wanted. The Dark Arts. Power over Muggles and Wizards. Ruling over others. Being the one in charge of everything. Isn’t that what you want, Gellert?” 

For a few moments, Gellert just stared at him. Shock and disbelief written all over his face.  _This can’t be happening_ his expression said. “You know that it’s not true.” 

“Then why didn’t you even argue with him?!?” Albus yelled. He had never done this before, to anyone. However, he couldn’t stop himself right now. The fear in Gellert’s eyes and the pleading looks he threw at Albus made everything even worse. Why couldn’t he just go and disappear and stop torturing Albus by being there? Why did he even come when he would leave either way?

Gellert closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. “It was a mistake; I knew it as soon as I said those words to him. You must know that Dimitri can be very… rousing when he wants to be. But I told him to leave right after that, I promise, Albus! You have to believe me.” The begging tone of his voice made Albus look away. He breathed in deeply, trying to stay calm. He knew that he couldn’t do this much longer, the tears were already falling again. Luckily, Gellert couldn’t see them because of the rain.

“Why should you do that? You always told me that I shouldn’t expect you to stay away from your dreams forever. Now would be the perfect moment to make them come true. Apparently, there are enough people who would follow you. Who would _love_ to follow you. And isn’t that everything you ever wanted? Power? I’m sure they would search for the Hallows with you too. With them, you can have everything I can never give you. So why don’t you just leave? Leave and stop torturing me like this. Why did you even come back, when you’re going to disappear either way?” 

For a few moments, Gellert didn’t say anything. Albus just heard him breathing rapidly. “Albus, look at me, please.” Gellert whispered and Albus felt a hesitant touch at his shoulder. Slowly, he turned his head and looked at Gellert again.

Gellert reached out, probably to touch his cheek, but in the last moment he seemed to change his mind. So he ran a hand through his hair instead. “I’m sorry I hurt you, love.” Gellert whispered and when Albus wanted to reply, he held up his hand. “Please, listen to me. After that, you can decide if you still want to send me away. And I’ll leave, even forever, if you want me to.”  _I don’t want you to leave!_ Albus would have loved to say, however the doubts wouldn’t go away. He simply didn’t understand why Gellert was here now. 

“I was just chasing the cat when there was a knock on the door. I haven’t seen Dimitri since the day I left school and to be honest, I didn’t even think of him after that. He was one of my best friends and he saw many things in the same way I did, that’s what held us together, I think. However, our friendship didn’t last once I was gone. He didn’t even write me a single letter and somehow, I was glad about it. And I wasn’t happy when he showed up here. He said that he needed to talk to me and that it was urgent. I agreed, what else could I do? Just send him away? He didn’t want to talk to me at my aunt’s house so we left. Back at school, he used to get angry very fast and often caused trouble when something didn’t go like he wanted it. So I thought it was better to go with him than to cause a fight. Once we were alone, he began to talk to me about the ‘good old times’, as he called them. And he held a speech about him and a few others at Durmstrang standing together against all the others, who are blinded. He meant the people who are fighting for peace. And the ones who aren’t interested in the Dark Arts and things like that.” He cleared his throat and looked down. It took Albus some time to realize that he looked ashamed. “To be honest, he meant the people I despised back at school. Well, however, you heard the end of his speech. And my answer to that wasn’t right, I know. You didn’t hear what I said after that. We heard the cry of the cat. I nearly left him just standing there to chase after you, but I had to clear the air first.” Suddenly, the look in Gellert’s eyes became hard.

“What do you mean?” Albus asked slowly. He still had doubts. But wat if Gellert really didn’t agree with his friend? The story was confusing him even more.

“The Greater Good.” Gellert began slowly and hesitated, looking for the right words. “What is the Greater Good? That’s a good question, you know. Once, I thought that I knew what it means. Making the world a better place. Better if you want to hurt many people or kill them. A better place, but only for some people and not for everyone. That was the idea behind the Greater Good. However, in the past months, I realized that it meant something else.” A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “ _You_ made me realize that it was something else, love. The Greater Good means making the world a better place, that’s true. But for everyone. It means helping people and doing something good… And stopping those who want the opposite. People like Dimitri.” 

Albus swallowed, not sure what to say. Gellert’s words had made him speechless. Could he have been so wrong? He accused Gellert of being a bad person without knowing the whole story…

“And now listen to me carefully, Albus.” Gellert continued, determination in his blue eyes. “You’re right. I told you once that I can’t promise you to stay forever. That the Dark Arts are tempting and the Hallows and that they might catch me again someday.” He leaned forward and now their faces were only inches apart. “Today, I’m going to make a new promise to you. I promise to never leave you, no matter what happens. And to love you forever. Because that’s what I do, with all my heart. I love you, Albus Dumbledore. You brought light in my life, when I didn’t even know that it was missing. You made my heart beat faster every time you showed up on our doorstep. You made me nervous with your smiles and every time you touched me, it sent sparks through my body. Something that had never happened before and that will never happen with anyone else except you. And what I still don’t understand is that you love me as well. I told you very often that I’m not a good person. That I’m even dangerous. Nevertheless, you believed that there’s good in me too. And you didn’t give up on me, no matter what happened. And now I beg you not to give up on me because of what you heard today. I swear that I’ll never turn to the Dark Arts or the Hallows again. They’re not worth it when I risk losing you. And I don’t even want to turn to them anymore. I want to make the world a better place, for everyone. And I would love to do it with you by my side. You were right when you said that we could do all those things together. So please, give me another chance. I don’t know what I should do without you, Albus.”

After his speech, Albus stared at Gellert wide-eyed. He had to be dead, this was too good to be true. Gellert was looking at him patiently, his blue eyes shining. That’s when Albus made a decision. Slowly, he reached out to take Gellert’s hands. At the contact, Gellert inhaled sharply. His hands were warm while Albus was as cold as ice. He didn’t even realize that until now. Nevertheless, Gellert didn’t flinch away from him. He just squeezed Albus’ hands and looked at him with so much love in his eyes that he wanted to cry.

“First, I have to apologize.” Albus began slowly, searching for the right words. It was hard to keep up after the things Gellert said. “I should have trusted you more. It was terrible just to assume that you would leave and –“

“Stop.” Gellert interrupted him abruptly. “Don’t you dare blame yourself now, Albus. I understand you; I really do. I have always told you that I might leave again, so why should I be angry with you? Your worries were not completely unjustified.”

Albus nodded slowly. “I’m sorry either way, Gel.” He whispered. “It was just… hearing you say those things…”

“I know. And _I_ am sorry.” Gellert said softly. “Do you forgive me?” 

Instead of answering, Albus let go off Gellert’s hands. The disappointed look on his face nearly broke Albus’ heart, so he got hold of Gellert’s jacket and pulled him closer. Gellert inhaled sharply when their bodies were crashed together and Albus wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Without further hesitation, Albus kissed him. And suddenly, it seemed as if all his worries just vanished. Gellert’s hands were on his back now and the feeling of finally being close to him again made Albus feel complete. In his arms, Gellert was shaking and when Albus opened his eyes to look at him, he saw that he was crying. He pulled back, but Gellert held him even tighter. And then something Albus would have never dreamed of happened. Gellert Grindelwald collapsed in his arms and began to sob loudly.

So Albus just held him tight and stoked his back slowly. “It’s alright, love.” He whispered into his ear. “I’m here and I’ll never leave you. I promise. No matter what happens. You’re not alone, Gellert. I love you.” He didn’t know how long Gellert was crying and on some point, Albus had begun to cry as well. When they finally let go of each other, the sun was already rising and bathing the forest in a soft light.

Suddenly, Albus’ heart began to race. “We’ve been gone the whole night, Ariana –“ He panicked, but Gellert interrupted him.

“Is fine, Bathilda is with her.” He said calmly and squeezed Albus’ hand. “When I couldn’t find you, I asked her to take care of Ariana. She went to your house immediately.”

“You asked her to…” When Gellert smiled weakly, Albus kissed him. “Thank you.” He whispered.

“You don’t have to thank me, Albus. We have to take care of our family, don’t we?” Gellert asked and his eyes were shining.

Albus hugged him, sobbing and laughing at the same time. “I love you, Gel.”

“I love you too, Albus.” Suddenly, Gellert’s expression turned to worried. “And now let us go, you’re still as cold as ice. I don’t want you to get ill.”

“Do you really think you look much better?” Albus muttered when Gellert helped him to his feet.

He shook his head. “Maybe we’ll both get ill.” Gellert shrugged. “At least we can be together then.”

They started to walk through the forest slowly and Albus sighed. “It would be just right if I got ill, after all, I’ve been an idiot yesterday.”

Gellert looked at him with a serious look on his face. “I told you to stop blaming yourself.”

Albus nodded slowly. “Alright, I’ll try.”

“Not trying, Albus. Really doing it. For me?”

Now he was looking at him with wide, blue eyes and Albus couldn’t do anything else to agree. The triumph didn’t leave Gellert’s eyes until they arrived at the house of his aunt.


	15. Apologies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter! I hope you like it, please let me know! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

When Albus woke up, he felt warm. And comfortable. Very comfortable, to be exact. He was lying in a warm bed; it was a little too hard to be his own, so it had to be Gellert’s. Next to him, Gellert was still asleep and his constant breathing made Albus smile. It was a rare thing when Gellert was this peaceful. He had his arms wrapped around Albus’ waist tightly, just like he feared that Albus might run away.

That’s when the events of the previous night hit him with full force. The visit of Gellert’s friend and their talk about ruling the world. How Albus ran away and Gellert followed him. Gellert’s explanation of the true meaning behind the Greater Good. There had been a promise.  _Today, I’m going to make a new promise to you._ Gellert had said. And Albus believed him that he meant it. The serious look in Gellert’s eyes had been prove enough. And then, Gellert had broken down in his arms and cried. Something Albus had never expected to happen. 

The sun had already been rising when they finally left the forest. Albus had been worried for Ariana, but Gellert had promised him that Bathilda had taken care of her. In that moment, Albus wanted to cry again. This time, out of happiness. Somehow, neither of them needed to ask where they would spend the night – well, the morning. They had just walked to Bathilda’s house and, after getting rid of their wet clothes, collapsed on the bed.

Albus inhaled sharply and stiffened when he remembered all the things he’d said to Gellert. How could he even tell Albus that he loved him after that? He’d accused Gellert of terrible things. And he didn’t trust him, even if he’d always told him just that…

“Would you please stop thinking about everything so hard? I can hear your mind rattle.” A tired voice behind him whispered and Albus inwardly cursed himself that he didn’t notice that Gellert was awake.

Suddenly, Gellert tightened his embrace around his waist. “What’s wrong, Albus?” The concern in his voice made Albus’ heart beat faster.

“About last night…” He began hesitantly, but Gellert interrupted him.

“Let’s not talk about it.” He muttered and Albus sighed.

“But we have to talk about it sometime, Gel.”

“That doesn’t mean we have to do it now. Can’t we… Why can’t we just enjoy the moment? Alright?” Somehow, Gellert’s voice sounded insecure. And pained. For a few seconds, Albus wondered why. “Albus?” Suddenly, he understood what was going on. Gellert was still afraid that Albus didn’t trust him. That he didn’t want to be here, with him. Maybe Gellert even feared that Albus would tell him to leave, just like he’d offered last night. _And I’ll leave, even forever, if you want me to._

Slowly, Gellert loosened his grip around Albus’ waist and moved away from him, probably to give him some space. However, that was the last thing he wanted right now. He turned around quickly just to see the sad expression on Gellert’s face. He tried to hide it, however Albus knew him well enough to see when something was wrong.

Albus touched Gellert’s cheeks lightly and his eyes widened in surprise. With a smile, Albus leaned down to kiss him. The surprised gasp of Gellert and the way the others hands grabbed his shoulders tightly, told him that he didn’t expect Albus to kiss him. And especially not this passionately. To Albus, it seemed like they kissed for hours, not able to get enough of each other. After a few long moments, Gellert relaxed and his hands began to explore Albus’ body. He knew exactly where to touch him and Albus enjoyed every moment of it.

Nevertheless, they still needed to talk. The sad expression on Gellert’s face had made it even more clearly.

“I love you.” Albus whispered in between the kisses and he felt Gellert smile against his lips.

“I love you too, Albus.” And suddenly, Gellert’s hands rested on Albus’ back and he drew back from the kiss. Now they were able to look into each other’s eyes.

“I know I shouldn’t apologise, but I’ll just do it again. I’m so incredibly sorry for all the things I said, Gellert. I didn’t mean to hurt you, I promise. It was just…”

“It’s alright, love. I understand you; you don’t have to explain it.” Gellert whispered softly, but Albus shook his head.

“Please, just listen to me.” When Gellert nodded slowly, a thoughtful look on his face, Albus continued. “I said some terrible things to you, Gel. I know I can’t take them back, but at least let me explain. And I am really sorry for not trusting you enough –“

“Albus, I know.” Gellert interrupted him softly and touched his cheeks. Somehow, it didn’t make it easier to tell Gellert how he felt last night.

“I was scared.” Albus whispered. “When I heard you talking to your friend.” Dimitri. His name was Dimitri, however Albus couldn’t bring himself to say it. “All those things… Making the world a better place, having power over others. They were just like the things we used to talk about right after you came to Godric’s Hollow. And wasn’t that what you always wanted? And the way he talked about everything… I knew that his intentions weren’t good.” He laughed dryly. “You told me once that you might not be able to resist the Dark Arts and the Hallows forever. That’s what came to my mind when I heard him talking. I was scared that you’d just leave Godric’s Hollow, probably forever. That you were leaving me… behind.” The last word was barely a whisper and Albus felt guilty when he saw the pained look on Gellert’s face. However, he didn’t speak. “You never promised me to stay, maybe that’s why I freaked out. Gellert… I really don’t know what I should do without you. I love you more than anything. When you told him about the Greater Good, I thought your decision has already been made. Because all the plans for the future had been about this, before the incident with my brother. Maybe it really hadn’t been permanent, these past months of peace. Of happiness.” Albus sighed. “I have been so foolish.”

Slowly, Gellert shook his head. The pain in his blue eyes made Albus’ heart ache. “I already told you that I understand it. It hurts to know that I caused you so much pain, Albus. I really wish you didn’t have to listen to those things Dimitri said.” At the mentioning of his former friend, Gellert’s expression turned angry. “And I already told you last night that my reaction was wrong.” He reached out with his hand and touched Albus’ cheek. “If someone has to apologize, it is me.”

“We both know that’s not true. After all, I didn’t trust you. And I’ve always promised to believe in you, Gel. I really do, I can’t explain what happened yesterday.”

“We all have doubts sometimes, Albus. And sometimes, they’re so strong that they nearly tear us apart. And in those situations, it’s the most difficult thing to just remain calm. I don’t blame you for the things you said.”

“But maybe you should.” Albus whispered, the guilt weighing heavily on him. Why was Gellert so nice to him after everything that happened? Albus simply couldn’t understand why he still trusted him.

The hard look in Gellert’s eyes prevented Albus from saying anything else. He just swallowed and looked at him silently. “Albus, if you ever say something like that again, I’ll hex you.” Slowly, his expression softened. “My love, I could never blame you for this. We all make mistakes. And we both made them last night.”

Slowly, Albus reached for Gellert’s hand on his cheek. For half a second, there was insecurity in Gellert’s eyes and Albus knew that he feared that he’d push him away. However, Albus just squeezed Gellert’s hand and smiled at him.

“You’re right.” He said slowly. “Can we just forget about last night?”

To his surprise, Gellert nodded. “Just promise me never to forget the things I said to you. I’ll stay with you for as long as you want me to. I could never leave you, Albus.”

“I promise. And you have to promise me something as well.” Slowly, Gellert raised his eyebrows. “Never to forget that I love you. And that I trust you. I’m so sorry that I forget that for a moment yesterday.”

“I already know that, love. But if it makes you feel better, I will make that promise.” Suddenly, Gellert wrapped his arms around Albus’ waist and pulled him closer. “I promise you that I won’t forget that you love and trust me.”

The smile on Gellert’s lips and the way his eyes were shining made Albus’ heart beat faster. Suddenly, a worried expression appeared on his face. “I didn’t ask you how you feel today. After all, you’ve been outside all night. And it was raining. And cold.”

Albus couldn’t stop himself from chuckling softly. It was still a new experience when Gellert was this worried. “I’m fine, really. Maybe I feel a little stiff, but that’s all. What about you? You’ve been out there too.”

“I’ll live.” Gellert replied and the concerned look on his face was replaced by a wide smile. Then he leaned in to kiss Albus.

* * *

When they left Gellert’s room two hours later, they were both smiling happily. Gellert held Albus’ hand tightly. When they were on the middle of the stairs, he stopped suddenly.

Albus just wanted to ask what was wrong, when he heard voices. “That’s right, my dear. Just like this.”

“I don’t want to hurt him.”

“You won’t. Just try it again.”

“Alright.”

Albus and Gellert looked at each other silently. Apparently, Gellert was just as surprised as Albus to hear that Bathilda and Ariana were there.

Albus bowed his head slightly.  _You didn’t know about this?_ the gesture said. 

Gellert shook his head. When Albus wanted to let go of his hand, he just tightened his grip.

Albus raised his eyebrows, but Gellert just smiled slightly. “I’m sick of hiding our relationship from them.” Gellert whispered into his ear.

Suddenly, Albus remembered another detail from the previous day.  _I see the way you look at each other._ Ariana had been genuinely happy for them. In short words, he told Gellert about his conversation with Ariana. Of course he didn’t mention the Christmas presents. 

Instead of being surprised, Gellert just smiled widely. “I think my aunt suspects something as well. She won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

Albus just smiled. “I know.”

They continued their way downstairs, still holding hands.

When they entered the living room, Bathilda was sitting on the couch, while Ariana sat on the floor. The white cat was sitting on her lap and Ariana tried to brush her fur. It didn’t seem as if the cat liked it very much.

“You’re late!” Ariana said loudly once she saw them. The cat on her lap protested loudly and tried to run away. Ariana got hold of her in the last moment and tried to calm her down again. In the meantime, Bathilda stood up and gestured them to follow her into the kitchen.

Once they were there, she shut the door and – to their surprise – placed a silencing charm on it. “It’s good to see you two again.” After hugging both of them tightly, Bathilda smiled. “And it was time that you told me about your relationship.” When she saw the surprised looks on their faces, she laughed. “I may be older than you, but I’m not that old. I still see many things. And it’s not hard to miss when you’re together.” Albus exchanged a look with Gellert, but he just smiled slightly. “Don’t look so guilty, Albus.” Bathilda continued. “I’m happy for you. Everyone needs some love in their lives. And to be honest, someone needed to tame him.” When Gellert ran a hand through his hair sheepishly, she laughed again.

Knowing that he didn’t have to hide anymore – at least not in front of Bathilda – Albus wrapped an arm around Gellert’s waist. “Don’t look embarrassed, she’s just teasing you.” He whispered and kissed Gellert’s cheek. Then he looked at Bathilda questioningly and pointed at the door. “What’s that about?”

“I thought that maybe you want to know the story I told Ariana. About last night. Because I’m not sure if you want to tell her what really happened.” She looked at Albus and Gellert silently for a few moments. “And I’m not sure if I want to hear it as well. I’ve been worried for both of you. And especially for you, Albus. Gellert was devastated when he came here to search you last night.”

When Albus turned to look at him, Gellert avoided to look into his eyes.

“I’ve been at your place the entire night, Albus. I’ve helped Ariana with the cat. And we had dinner together, it was quite nice. She even asked me if I’d like to come around more often, maybe once a week. And the two of you were here at my house. A friend was here to visit Gellert and you had an argument. Albus brought the cat to Ariana because he didn’t want her to get hurt. Afterwards, you went back here to stay with Gellert, who was still angry and upset.” Bathilda smiled, satisfied with her explanation. “And this morning after breakfast, I came here with Ariana and the cat. Don’t worry, Ariana wasn’t suspicious of you sleeping for so long. She was too busy with the cat.”

When they just looked at her in silence, Bathilda crossed his arms. “Would you please tell me what you think?”

“That’s it?” Gellert asked simply, his tone surprised.

“What do you mean?” She frowned at him.

“A friend visited, we had a fight and Albus came to stay with me.” Gellert summarised the story. “And Ariana didn’t even ask what the fight was about? Or why we didn’t come over? And why you stayed the night with her?”

Bathilda nodded. “That’s right.”

Albus had the same doubts as Gellert. Nevertheless, he smiled at Bathilda. “Thank you.”

She smiled at him. “Don’t thank me for that, it’s nothing.”

“You know it isn’t.” Albus replied.

“When you’re hungry, there’s still some food left. We had sandwiches this morning, Ariana insisted to bring them for you.” Without saying anything else, Bathilda removed the Silencing Charm from the door and went back to the living room.

Albus and Gellert watched her leave in silence. When she was gone, Gellert wrapped his arms around Albus’ waist and buried his face in his neck.

“Did I ever tell you that your aunt is an amazing woman?” Albus asked quietly and Gellert chuckled. Slowly, he moved backwards so that they could look into each other’s eyes.

“She can be exhausting too.” He muttered darkly and then they both laughed.

“I’m still not sure if Ariana believed her the story about last night.”

Albus nodded thoughtfully. “We’ll just tell her the same, I think she trusts us enough not to ask questions.”

Gellert nodded slowly. “And now let us get some food, I’m starving.”

After they’d eaten, they went to the living room. Ariana was still sitting on the floor with the cat while Bathilda watched them. When Ariana saw their entwined hands, she smiled at them widely. Then she explained them how to take care of a cat. She had named her Snowflake because of her white fur.


	16. A Peaceful Evening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

In the evening, they went back to their house. Ariana was carrying the cat proudly. Gellert had insisted on coming with them, he didn’t want to leave Albus again after everything that happened. They had walked right behind Ariana with the cat and watched her with amusement. She already loved Snowflake very much. In the house, Ariana began to play with her again, while Albus and Gellert sat down on the couch. Since Ariana already knew about their relationship, Albus leaned against Gellert, who – after much hesitation – wrapped an arm around his waist.

They just sat there in silence like they’d already done it back at Bathilda’s house. And Albus didn’t mind the lack of conversation. He was just happy to have Gellert close to him. To be honest, he never wanted to part from him again. Even if it would be just for a few hours. The fear of losing him was still too strong. And the shame that he didn’t trust him enough. Luckily, it also didn’t seem as if Gellert wanted to let him go.

Right now, he was drawing patterns on Albus’ arm with his hand while he watched Snowflake climbing onto Aberforth’s favourite armchair. “He won’t like it when she scratches over the material with her claws…” Albus muttered and Gellert chuckled.

“I think we could fix that easily.” He whispered back.

“You don’t have to whisper like this, you know?” Ariana asked and walked into the living room, carrying a plate with sandwiches. She placed them on the table, took one for herself and sat down in the armchair. “I didn’t want to cook; I hope you don’t mind that.” She smiled when Snowflake climbed onto her lap and tried to steal her food.

“She’s naughty.” Gellert grinned at Ariana.

“And fast.” Albus added. “Took me some time to catch her. In the end, I had to use my wand.” He handed Gellert a sandwich and smiled when he saw the happy look on Ariana’s face. Apparently, his sister had already waited for them to tell her about their relationship. He looked over his shoulder at Gellert. “Bathilda didn’t say anything, but I bet it has been quite amusing to watch me hunt her.”

“You forget that I’ve been hunting her as well.” Gellert said. “I didn’t think of using magic.” He frowned at Albus. “Good idea, to be honest. Seems like I’ve been stupid.”

Albus laughed softly. “It took me some time as well.”

“The two most brilliant wizards of our time, trying to catch a cat. And you really didn’t think of magic?” Ariana’s amused voice took Albus back to reality. Sometimes, he forgot that others were around when he was focused on Gellert.

Gellert shrugged with a slight smile. “We’re all just human. And I wouldn’t say that I’m brilliant. That’s just Albus.”

At those words, Albus nearly choked on his sandwich. “ _Me_ ??” He coughed and shook his head. “Now I know you’re not serious.” 

When Ariana just rolled her eyes and Gellert raised his eyebrows, Albus sighed. “Alright. Think whatever you want.”

“Albus…” Gellert began, but he shook his head again.

“Don’t. I really don’t want to discuss this.”

Ariana grinned at Gellert. “He doesn’t like it when someone calls him brilliant.” She said conspiratorially, just like Albus wouldn’t be there.

“I’ve noticed.” Gellert said simply and Albus was relieved when he dropped the subject.

“I got a letter from Elphias.” He said after a few moments of silence.

This caught Gellert’s attention since he changed his position so that he could look at Albus. “What did he write?” He asked immediately and even Ariana looked interested.

In short words, Albus repeated what Elphias wrote about America. When he mentioned that he would visit them around Christmas, Ariana smiled. She had always liked him very much. And even Gellert seemed to be pleased. “I bet it will be interesting what he’s got to say.”

Albus nodded. “I’ve already heard that the Americans see many things in a different way than we do. But to hear it from someone who’s just been there…” He smiled. “That indeed will be an interesting conversation.”

“Did he mention where he wants to go after his visit here?” Gellert asked and Albus shook his head.

“No, but the original plan was to go to Australia after that. With a way back over South America.” He grinned when he remembered the endless days and nights he and Elphias had planned the trip.

“Wait, first Asia, then Africa, back to England, America, Canada, Iceland, back to England. Then Australia and back to England over _South America_?” Gellert’s voice was confused. “Why on earth did you plan it like this?” 

“First our plan was to go around the world, like a circle. But Elphias wanted to come back here for a visit sometime, so we made a new plan. An unexpected one.”

“It was Elphias’ idea.” Ariana threw in. “That’s too unexpected for Albus.”

“What do you want to say by that?” Albus asked suspiciously and crossed his arms.

“It means that you think too logical for something like this, love.” Gellert whispered into his ear and kissed him on the cheek. “It’s nothing negative.”

When Albus still looked at them guardedly, Gellert wrapped his arms around him again. “You’re perfect.” Slowly, Albus started to relax.

“Elphias thought that it was funny.” He explained slowly. “Because no one would expect us to do something like that. Apparently, he’s been right. Just that he’s doing it alone now.”

“I’ll travel with you once we get a chance to do it. And then we’ll have a look at the world together.” Gellert said with a soft smile.

“That sounds good.” Albus admitted and couldn’t stop himself from smiling as well.

“And what about me?” Ariana asked suddenly and they both turned to her with wide eyes. “When you’ll be gone, I’ll just stay here with Aberforth and do nothing, as always?” She tried to sound hurt, but the amused look on her face betrayed her.

“You will be studying then, young lady.” Albus said firmly. “So that you will be able to perform magic like everyone else in the future.”

Slowly, Ariana’s eyes widened. “You can’t really think that.” Her voice was quiet and Albus could hear her surprise.

“Why not?” He asked simply and even if he looked at his sister, he could literally feel Gellert’s eyes on him. “We’re already practicing so you can learn to control your magic.”

“Yes, but I thought we just did that so I can’t hurt anyone.” She muttered. “Not that I could really be…”

“What? A witch?” Albus asked and smiled at her. “I know that you can do it, Ariana. I have every faith in you.”

“And me too.” Gellert added next to him.

“It will need much more practice, that’s true.” Albus continued. “But once you can control the outbursts of your magic, we can go further with it. You can already control them. It rarely happens anymore.”

“Just because everything is alright at the moment. I don’t know what will happen when I’ll get upset again.” She looked at the cat in her arms and began to play with her fur.

“You can do that, Ariana. You are not alone in this.” Albus said confidently.

Slowly, she looked up and into his eyes. “We should go on practicing tomorrow, right?” She asked hesitantly and he nodded.

“Good idea. But not in the morning. First, I’ve got something else to do. After all, you asked me for a favour.” A happy expression appeared on her face when she realized what he’d just said.

“You’re really going to get it for me?” She asked and before Albus knew what was happening, Ariana put the cat down on the ground and ran around the table to hug him tightly.

“Of course I’ll do it, Ari. I promised.”

He saw Gellert’s questioning look and Ariana told him about the idea to draw something for Aberforth. When she finished, Gellert smiled. “That’s a very good idea.”

They talked about Christmas some more, but Albus already noticed how tired his sister looked. When he suggested to go to bed, she didn’t argue. Snowflake didn’t want to go with Ariana to her room. She was already lying in Aberforth’s armchair comfortably.

* * *

“Did I tell you that you’re amazing?” Gellert asked and Albus nodded.

“A few times, I think.” He replied and Gellert chuckled. They were lying in Albus’ bed together, arms wrapped around each other. When they had gone upstairs, they had changed into something comfortable. However, they both didn’t want to sleep yet.

“Why do you say it now?” Albus asked curiously.

“Do I need a reason to tell you this?” Gellert asked back and raised his eyebrows. However, he didn’t seem to take his own question seriously since he kept talking. “I could say it to you every day and many times, love.” He paused and frowned. “It just came to my mind when you talked to Ariana about her magic. You are so confident that everything will be alright. And you believe in her, more than she does herself. I admire you for that. The trust that everything is going to work out. And the patience you’ve got.”

Albus smiled. “I don’t see it in that way. I just see me.” He admitted. “And I’m nothing special.”

The intense look on Gellert’s face made his heart beat faster. “You are very special, Albus. Believe me.” He whispered and his tone didn’t leave room for arguments. He leaned forward to kiss him. “I knew that you were special the moment I met you. And I have realized it every day after that.” Gellert kissed him again, more urgent this time. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Albus whispered and sighed when Gellert’s hands began to explore his body. Suddenly, Gellert moved so that he was on top of him.

“Encouraging your sister to draw something for Christmas is also very great.” He smiled at Albus and there was so much love in his gaze that he thought his heart was going to stop.

“It was her idea. I just promised her to get everything she needs.” Albus explained.

“Not every wizard would approve something like that. Since it’s an activity Muggles do.” Now Gellert’s tone was more serious.

“And I think that it shouldn’t be like this. Everyone should be able to do what he or she wants. And not be judged for that.”

Gellert nodded. “You’re right. However, acceptance will always be a problem.”

Somehow, Albus knew that he didn’t mean the drawing anymore. “Do you care?”

Gellert’s eyes widened in surprise. “Albus…” He began slowly, unsure what to say.

“I asked if you care about it. That they won’t accept us.” He repeated his words.

The look on Gellert’s face changed. The surprise was replaced by a stern determination and Gellert’s eyes were shining. “My love, you already know the answer.” With those words, he leaned down and kissed him again passionately.

* * *

The next morning, Albus went to London to get the drawing supplies for Ariana. In the meantime, Gellert stayed with her. He hadn’t been happy that Albus wanted to go to London alone, but in the end, he had to give in. His love could be very stubborn when he wanted something. Of course he had also appealed to Gellert’s conscience since someone had to stay with Ariana. Even if they both knew that she would also be alright for a few hours alone.

To be honest, Gellert hated being apart from Albus. He had always felt uneasy when the other one wasn’t around, especially since the incident with Ariana and the cat, where both Albus and Ariana had nearly lost their lives. And after Dimitri had been there a few days ago… Gellert knew that it was foolish, but his heart stared to race in his chest every time Albus wasn’t around. Even if he just left the room for a few minutes.

The thought of losing Albus, that he might run away from him, was still too new. And it hurt. When they had heard the scream of the cat and Gellert realized that Albus had listened to their conversation, his whole world had broken down. After telling Dimitri to go away, he had looked for Albus. When he couldn’t find him, Gellert thought that he was going to die. He had never been this scared before. And then he’d found him and Albus had flinched away from him.  _This moment will hunt me forever._ Gellert thought and it already did. He knew that he would have nightmares once Albus wouldn’t sleep in his bed anymore. 

Right now, he was in the kitchen with Ariana. She was already preparing the food for dinner and he watched her while doing that. He wasn’t a good cook and helping would just end in a disaster.

“You could also tell me what really happened, you know?” Ariana asked suddenly and ripped him out of his thoughts.

“What do you mean?” Gellert asked and raised his eyebrows, even if she couldn’t see it.

Ariana looked over her shoulder. “When you were gone the whole night. The day before yesterday.” She explained. “Bathilda said an old schoolmate visited you and you had a fight. And that Albus was there to keep you from fighting. I don’t believe that.”

Gellert leaned back on his chair. Ariana used to notice everything. Somehow, he had already expected her to ask questions about that evening. And Albus did that as well. They had just talked about it this morning. “Why should my aunt lie to you?” Gellert asked calmly.

“That’s what I asked myself as well.” Ariana muttered. “And that’s also why I didn’t bring it up until now.”

“Why don’t you ask your brother?”

Slowly, Ariana turned around and crossed her arms. “I wanted to do that. But then I remembered the look on his face when he came here and brought Snowflake.”

Gellert swallowed. He could imagine very well how Albus had looked back then.

“I’ve never seen him like this.” Ariana continued. “Normally, he’s always so calm. Nothing can break his patience. And he’s not afraid of anything. Never.” Gellert was always amazed by the way Ariana saw her oldest brother. “I was afraid that he might freak out, when I asked him about it.” At the last words, she looked down and Gellert noticed that she was ashamed.

He chose his next words carefully. “Why should Albus freak out?”

When she looked at him, he saw the same determined gleam in her eyes that he’d seen on her brother so many times. “Can’t we just stop pretending that nothing happened between the two of you on that evening?” She asked and caught him off guard with her words. “Albus was  _terrified_ . Scared like hell, Gellert. So don’t tell me that you had a fight with a friend. And don’t think that you can just tell me stories because I’m a little girl.” She crossed her arms. “You always keep from me what’s going on.” 

“Ariana…” Gellert began slowly and didn’t know what to say. Right now, he wished even more that Albus would he here. He would know what to tell her.

“You had a fight with Albus.” Ariana said simply. “And it was a bad one, I suppose. Ever since you came from your room yesterday morning, you watch each other like someone’s going to disappear.” She leaned on the counter and raised her eyebrows. “Or am I wrong?”

He inhaled deeply. “Why do you ask all those questions?”

Suddenly, Ariana’s shoulders sank down and she bit her bottom lip. In this moment, she really looked like a little girl. “I just don’t want you two to get hurt.” She admitted. “Everything is perfect right now. But when you fight and you are going to leave, Albus will never get over that, Gellert. And I don’t think that it would be easy for you as well.”

Slowly, Gellert stood up from his chair and knelt down in front of her. He took her hands into his. “Why should I leave, Ariana?” He asked softly. “You know what your brother means to me. And I could never leave him.”

Slowly, Ariana nodded. “I believe you, but when you fight again…”

“We won’t.” He interrupted her quickly.

And then something unexpected happened. Ariana wrapped her arms around him and began to cry. “I was scared when Albus showed up here like this. But then he brought the cat and Bathilda came here and said that everything was alright… I knew it wasn’t. I just knew it. And I’ve been right, haven’t I?”

Gellert sighed. “Everything is alright, Ariana. You don’t have to worry. I promise.” He whispered into her ear. He knew that he could never tell her what really happened. That was something between Albus and him. The only important thing right now was that she knew that everything was alright.

She looked at him sadly. “Really?”

He nodded. “Really.”

It took him more time to calm her down completely. When Albus came back two hours later, he found them in the living room. Ariana was playing with Snowflake while Gellert looked out of the window in silence, a thoughtful look on his face.


	17. Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Christmas came faster than expected. The day Aberforth returned from Hogwarts, Ariana was very happy to see him. They talked for hours and Albus just sat with them in the living room, listening to their conversation. In the past weeks, his brother had written him a few letters, which had surprised him very much. Normally, Aberforth was more distant. But it seemed as if he wanted to try building a closer relationship to Albus.

Maybe Ariana had asked him to be nicer? Gellert arrived in the evening and to Albus’ surprise, he and Aberforth also got along well. Maybe it was a bit forced sometimes, but it worked. The days after Aberforth’s return, Ariana spent most of her time with him. Albus didn’t mind that, he was at Gellert’s place very often these days and they had invited Bathilda over for Christmas. She’d been very happy about this since she was used to spending Christmas Eve on her own.

Ariana didn’t tell Aberforth about her lessons with Albus and he was glad about it. He didn’t want to cause a fight on Christmas. It was still a miracle that Aberforth was alright with the fact that Gellert would be there with them the entire time. And Elphias would also visit them after Christmas…

Of course Ariana felt uneasy with hiding something from Aberforth. But after a long talk with Albus and Gellert, she had finally agreed a few days before he arrived.

Albus and Gellert also started to be less tensed when they were together. Slowly, the fear that Gellert would leave was vanishing. And Gellert also didn’t fear that Albus might think something bad of him anymore. They still stayed close as much as possible, but Gellert didn’t panic anymore when Albus was gone for a few hours. Nevertheless, they were still sleeping in the same bed, mostly at Albus’ house. They both didn’t want to be alone at night anymore.

On Christmas Eve, Albus was very nervous. He really didn’t know if Gellert would like his present. He had thought about it for a long time and with Ariana’s help, he found something. It was nothing special, just a book about magic history. Gellert had told Albus not to get him something for Christmas, but Albus didn’t like not having anything. And he was sure that Gellert also had a present for him. In the past weeks, he’d acted very secretively sometimes.

Since Gellert liked history, the book had looked perfect to Albus. He’d found it on his trip to London, in a book store in Diagon Alley. It was very old, but Albus didn’t mind that. And he hoped that Gellert liked it too.

Finding a present for Ariana had been easier. They’d bought her a chess set. He’d talked about his idea with Gellert for some time, but they’d both been confident that she would like it. Wizard’s Chess was always fun to play. The present would be from Albus and Gellert together.

For Aberforth, Albus had bought a new cloak. In one of his letters, Aberforth had mentioned that someone had set his own on fire. Apparently, a bad joke from younger students. While reading that letter, Albus had just rolled his eyes. Not because of the joke, but since his brother hadn’t done anything against it. He could have extinguished the fire easily.

Bathilda arrived early on Christmas Eve and helped Ariana to prepare dinner. Albus, Gellert and Aberforth had offered to help as well, but Bathilda had told them that they weren’t needed. So they’d been sitting in the living room, mostly talking about Aberforth’s time at Hogwarts. Gellert didn’t say much, he just listened, but he didn’t seem to mind. He was holding Albus’ hand (when Albus told Aberforth that they were together now, his younger brother had just rolled his eyes) and followed their conversation. Sometimes, he also stroked the back of Snowflake, who was lying on the couch next to him.

“How is it?” He asked suddenly and interrupted their conversation, which had turned to one of the teachers now.

“What do you mean?” Albus asked with a smile.

“Hogwarts.” Gellert explained. “You told me very much about it, but I’ve always been wondering how it is to be there.”

“It’s the most beautiful place in this world.” Albus explained. “It’s very difficult to explain, when you haven’t been there yourself.”

“Imagine a big castle, surrounded by fields and hills. With high towers, big hallways and a lake next to it. And a forest, though it is forbidden to go there. It is indeed an amazing view, when the sun’s rising and reflects in the windows of the castle. Or the sunset over the lake. It’s never quiet there, you can always see and hear students walking and talking. And in the great hall, the ceiling always shows the weather outside. Most people really like to be there, the competitions between the houses never end. Especially when there are Quidditch matches.” Aberforth smiled while he explained those things. To Albus’ surprise, there was a dreamy look on his face. Didn’t his brother always say that he hated the castle?

Gellert smiled. “I would like to see it myself one day.”

“You will.” Albus said confidently and squeezed Gellert’s hand.

“There are better places.” Aberforth said suddenly, his voice colder. He glanced at the door of the kitchen, which was closed. “It’s not home.” He muttered, nearly sounding aggressive. Albus and Aberforth had a fight about that a few years ago.

“No, it’s not.” Albus agreed. “But it’s a beautiful place either way.”

Slowly, Aberforth relaxed again. “That’s true.” He looked at the cat thoughtfully. “I just wish that Ariana could have seen it as well.” At the sad tone in his voice, Albus and Gellert exchanged a look.

Before they could reply anything, the door of the kitchen opened and Ariana announced that dinner was ready.

The exchange of the Christmas presents after dinner went smoothly. The picture Ariana had painted for Aberforth was beautiful, it showed a lake and on its shore stood a few goats. Ariana had also painted something for Albus and Gellert. The painting for Albus showed a castle that looked like Hogwarts (Aberforth had helped her with the image) and on Gellert’s picture, you could see a lonely tree in the snow. On the tree sat an owl. When Gellert asked her why she chose this motif, Ariana couldn’t really explain it. She just said that it seemed right.

Aberforth liked the cloak Albus had gotten him very much. He even hugged Albus, which surprised him so much that he nearly dropped his present for Ariana. Luckily, she loved the chess set and hugged both Albus and Gellert tightly. Bathilda also had a present for Ariana, it was a neckband for Snowflake.

In the end, only Albus and Gellert didn’t exchange their presents yet. Albus was nervous when he handed Gellert the present, but Gellert just smiled widely, his eyes shining. When he looked at the book more closely, he grinned and kissed Albus on the lips, right in front of everyone. And then Gellert handed Albus a small box with his present.

It was very light and Albus smiled at Gellert nervously when he opened it. Luckily, the others weren’t watching them. They were busy with the chess set, Bathilda and Aberforth just explained the rules to Ariana.

“The idea came to me some time ago. Probably, it’s really bad…” Gellert muttered, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “Maybe I should have just found something else.”

Albus smiled at him reassuringly. “I bet it’s perfect.” He whispered and opened the box. To his surprise, it contained a necklace. It was very long, and when Albus saw the pendant, he inhaled sharply. Gellert wanted to say something, but Albus shook his head slowly. He took the necklace in his hand and looked at it closely.

“The Deathly Hallows.” He whispered, because that’s what the pendant portrayed. The sign of the Deathly Hallows. It was made of silver and Albus had to admit that it was really beautiful. But why had Gellert chosen this symbol?

“The Greater Good.” Gellert corrected him quietly. “Represented through the symbol of the Deathly Hallows. I’ve been searching for a symbol for some time and then this came to my mind. Yes, I know, I’ve given up the Hallows. They’re far from what I want now. But somehow, this seemed to be a good reminder to me. For what is really important in life.” Gellert hesitated. “If you don’t like it, I can also get you something else.“

Instead of answering, Albus wrapped his arms around Gellert and kissed him deeply. He could feel tears in his eyes, but he didn’t care. When they drew back, Gellert looked at him wide-eyed. “You’re crying, love.” He whispered, his voice shocked.

Albus shook his head and wiped away the tears. “It’s because I’m happy. And this is perfect.” He whispered and kissed Gellert again, who laughed, relieved that Albus liked his present.

“So you like it?” He asked, his voice still a little insecure.

“I love it.” Albus corrected him and put on the necklace. It was so long that it vanished under his shirt. The symbol was directly above his heart now. “I don’t think that I’ll ever take it off again. But now my present looks so small next to yours.”

Gellert shook his head. “No, it doesn’t. I got the best present months ago. And that’s you. I don’t need anything else.”

Albus chuckled but didn’t reply anything. He knew that discussing would be useless when Gellert was in a mood like this. “It’s a reminder of what brought us together.” He said instead.

Gellert nodded, his eyes were shining. “That’s true.” He placed his hand directly above Albus’ heart. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Gel.” Albus whispered.

“And now that you’ve settled this, get over here!” Bathilda commanded loudly. “You two will show Ariana how to play Wizard’s Chess! You’re the best players here, then she can see how it works.”

Gellert rolled his eyes and Albus chuckled. Then they went over to the others.

* * *

“America is exciting.” Elphias explained. “Even though they’re seeing everything very different from ourselves. They’re calling Muggles No-Majs, can you believe it?” He shook his head. “And they’re even more into this whole hiding thing over there. I thought the rules were hard here, but I’ve been wrong.”

Albus nodded. “I’ve heard of that.” He said. Three days had passed since Christmas Eve and Elphias had arrived in the morning. Ariana and Aberforth were outside with the goats, so only Elphias, Gellert and Albus were sitting in the living room. Albus and Gellert were sitting on the couch, while Elphias sat in Aberforth’s favourite armchair. They didn’t tell Elphias that they were together now. He was Albus’ best friend, but he wasn’t sure how he would take the news. He didn’t want to ruin their meeting on Christmas.

“Are they really thinking that Muggles are a danger to our world?” Gellert asked curiously.

Elphias nodded. “They do. It’s infuriating, how they’re talking about those people.”

“I can imagine that very well.” Albus muttered darkly.

“It’s even worse when you hear it in person. But let’s not talk about that anymore. I want to show you something.” Elphias searched in his bag for something and then he pulled out a big book. A photo album, Albus realized. “I thought you might want to see a few pictures of the places I’d been, after all, you couldn’t come with me.” The next hour, they spent looking at the photographs that showed Elphias all around the world. Many pictures just showed landscapes and Albus would have given everything to see those places himself.

When Elphias didn’t pay attention to them, Gellert squeezed Albus’ hand quickly. Of course he knew that Albus longed to see the world too. But they would do it, once Aberforth finished his education and Ariana could practice alone. Then they would leave and see the world, before they decided what to do next.

To nearly every picture, Elphias could tell them a story and both Albus and Gellert were eager to hear them. They both asked many questions and the day passed very fast. Elphias would have to leave in the evening, he would meet a friend in London the next day. Again, he wouldn’t stay long.

“I met a friend a few weeks ago, in New York.” Elphias told them before he had to leave. “Do you remember John Brightwood?” He asked Albus.

After thinking about it for a few moments, he nodded. “He was Head Boy of Ravenclaw in the year above us. Tall, blond hair, brown eyes. Quidditch player, all the girls have been after him. He was quite nice.” Next to him, Gellert raised an eyebrow.

Elphias nodded, not noticing Gellert’s expression. “He’s married now. His wife’s from Russia.”

Albus grinned. “That’s a surprise. What were they doing in New York?”

“Vacation. And her brother lives there.” Elphias explained with a smile, but then he became serious again. “They’ve moved to England, he told me. His wife didn’t want to stay in Russia anymore. Apparently, some people in the east have strange world views at the moment. He said that there are rumours about the Dark Arts. And people who hate Muggles.” Elphias shrugged. “They were very serious when they told me this, but I wasn’t sure what to make of it. John’s wife has a niece who’s going to Durmstrang. There, it should be very bad at the moment.” He glanced at Gellert. “I thought you might be interested in this.”

Albus and Gellert exchanged a look. Gellert’s expression was still relaxed, but Albus could see the tension in his shoulders. And the look in his eyes was thoughtful. He thought of Dimitri, who’d been there a few months ago and shivered. He was still attending Durmstrang. Could it be possible that he was involved in this? A look at Gellert told Albus that yes, he could.

After that, Elphias said goodbye and left. He promised Albus to write him more letters and they wanted to see each other again as soon as possible.

In the evening, Albus and Gellert were lying together in Albus’ bed. Gellert had one arm wrapped around Albus and with his free hand, he was playing with Albus’ necklace.

“What do you think?” Albus asked slowly.

“You’re thinking the same.” Gellert muttered. “So he’s really doing it.”

Albus raised his eyebrows. “You mean Dimitri?” At the name, Gellert flinched.

“Yes.” He admitted with a sigh. “He said that they don’t need me for their plans. He’s been serious.”

“But you’ve known that before.” Albus said slowly.

Gellert nodded. “But hearing it is a whole different story.”

Albus couldn’t disagree with him, so he just wrapped his arms around Gellert and kissed him. “Everything will be alright.” He muttered and slowly, Gellert relaxed.

“I have a feeling that this will still haunt us for a long time.” He muttered.

“Probably.” Albus agreed. “But when the time comes, we’ll deal with it together.” He promised and when Gellert looked up, he was smiling.

“That sounds good.” They kissed again and Albus ran his hand down Gellert’s back.

“Let’s forget about this. It’s just a rumour, love. We can’t do anything about this now.”

Gellert sighed. “You’re right.”

Albus knew that Gellert was still thinking about it, so he rolled them over so that he was lying on top of Gellert. And then he made him forget about all those things.


	18. The Article

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowly, we're getting closer to the really exciting events in this story. There will be a few time jumps soon.
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

The next weeks, they continued their routine from before Christmas. Albus and Gellert spent every free minute together and they taught Ariana how to control her magic nearly every day. She was making progress slowly and could even control her magic now when she was upset. Ariana was glad about it since it meant that the risk of hurting someone accidentally was much smaller.

Bathilda visited them for dinner once a week. She liked Ariana very much and they got along very well. Sometimes, Albus and Gellert spent their day with Bathilda too. They were discussing many things and Bathilda even told them about her researches for a book she was writing. She wanted to call it  _Hogwarts, A History_ . Especially Albus was excited by the idea since he loved stories about Hogwarts. Just like he loved the castle itself. In his schooltime, he’d also discovered a few secrets of the castle. Gellert was also interested in this since he wanted to see the castle sometime. 

Next to helping Bathilda with her research, Albus was doing a few things by himself. He was trying to find uses of dragon blood (Gellert gave him that idea) and he tried to invent something. The idea came to him some time ago. If it worked, it would be an object to control lights. Gellert helped him with the general idea, but the spell which made it work was Albus’ own idea. He wanted to call it  _Deluminator_ . 

Gellert was also doing things, but in contrast to Albus, he was thinking about magic very much. He tried to find useful spells. However, most of the time, he was thinking of the Greater Good. Ever since their conversation  _that night_ , Gellert was trying to define good and bad. He’d made it his plan to help people instead of hurting them. And so he wrote down many of his thoughts. Albus was very proud of him and didn’t miss a chance to tell him that. When they first met, he would have never thought that Gellert might change so much. 

Because that’s what happened in the past months. All the thoughts of the Dark Arts seemed to have vanished from his mind. And also the idea of hurting people or ruling over Muggles. Albus knew that Gellert wasn’t happy anymore that he’d given those ideas to others back at Durmstrang.

However, the rumours Elphias had heard weren’t confirmed for a long time. Albus and Gellert even thought that it might have really been just the talk of a few people.

Until, one morning, the  _Daily Prophet_ arrived. 

* * *

It had started like every morning. Only that this time, Gellert wasn’t there. He’d spent the past evening with Bathilda, so Albus had been alone that night. At breakfast, Ariana told Albus about a new letter from Aberforth in which he’d told her what happened at school. It wasn’t too exciting, except for the news that the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher would retire in two years from now. It made Albus think of his future again. What did he want to do? The idea of teaching at Hogwarts was thrilling and he considered if he should apply for that position.

Suddenly, there was a crash at the window and both Albus and Ariana jumped in their seats. However, it was just the owl that delivered the  _Prophet_ . Ariana stood up immediately to look at her. “She seems to be exhausted.” Ariana said when she handed the paper to Albus. Then she went to get some water for the owl. 

Albus smiled when he saw Ariana with the owl. Snowflake had entered the kitchen, apparently, the cat had heard the crash as well. She was eyeing Ariana and the owl suspiciously now.

When Albus unfolded the paper, his smile vanished.

_Muggle couple found dead in their house_ the headline said. Under it was a picture of two people who were smiling at each other. They were wearing warm clothes and the house behind them was covered in snow. The picture wasn’t moving. It was taken by Muggles. 

Albus swallowed and started to read the article. At the headline, his heart had started to beat faster. A dark foreboding crept up on him.

_Yesterday, two Muggles were found dead in their house in Siberia. They were a young couple and had married a year ago. Ana and Jim Bach were living separated from others, a few miles away from the next city. They owned a farm and Jim was a hunter, so the couple lived from selling furs and milk. A friend of them, who also was a wizard, had found the bodies when they didn’t show up at the market. The reason for their deaths was identified as Dark Magic. No one knows why the Muggles were killed and who did it. The investigations are still ongoing._

Albus put down the paper slowly and noticed that Ariana was watching him. “Something wrong? You’re so pale.” She said and he heard the concern in her voice.

He shook his head. “It’s nothing.” He quickly turned to the next page so Ariana didn’t see the headline. Albus knew that she wasn’t a little girl anymore, but somehow, it didn’t seem right that she read this headline now. He would have to talk about it with Gellert. Slowly, he read the rest of the newspaper, but his thoughts kept wandering back to the first page.

Why did someone kill Muggles with Dark Magic? What had they done? Or was it just someone who liked to hurt and kill others? When he thought of the article again, he noticed that the couple had lived only a few hours away from Durmstrang. Thanks to Gellert Albus knew the location of the school. But did that mean something?

About half an hour after he’d read the article, the front door opened. Ariana had already left the kitchen to play outside with Snowflake, so Albus was alone when Gellert arrived.

Gellert was smiling widely. “Good morning, love.” He greeted Albus.

Albus forced himself to smile back. “Good morning to you too.” He stood up to kiss Gellert. When they drew back, Gellert frowned at him.

“Albus, what’s wrong?” There was concern in Gellert’s voice. Albus had already expected him to realize that something was bothering him.

Instead of answering the question, he handed Gellert the newspaper. When he saw the headline, Gellert inhaled sharply and sat down to read it. When he finished, his eyes were narrowed and he was tapping on the table with his right hand slowly. “What do you think of this?”

Albus breathed in deeply. “Why should anyone kill Muggles without reason? Especially a couple like this, that’s so inconspicuous?”

“And that lives far away from others.” Gellert muttered and frowned again. “Don’t you think that it’s strange that the friend who found them was a wizard? Too much of a coincidence, isn’t it?”

He nodded. “Looks like it’s been planned.”

Gellert sighed. “I think so too.”

“Did you notice the location of the city?” Albus asked and pointed at it in the article.

“Close to the school.” Gellert muttered. “They could get there easily. Kill someone and leave.”

“So you really thing that Dimitri’s behind all this?” Albus raised his eyebrows.

“I don’t know who else would do something like this.” Gellert ran a hand through his hair. “Looks like them, after all, their ideas contain acts like this.” He sounded frustrated now and Albus reached out for his hands on the table.

“It’s not your fault.” He said softly.

“But I was the one who gave them these ideas in the first place.” Gellert said quietly and avoided to look into Albus’ eyes.

“It was their own choice to act on those ideas.” Albus replied calmly. “You didn’t force them to do anything.”

“Without me, they might have never done this.”

“Or they might have done it either way.” He said. “We’ve all got both light and dark inside of us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. You made your choice a few months ago. And so did your former friends. You’re not responsible for their actions.”

Finally, Gellert looked at him again. The vulnerability there nearly broke Albus’ heart. However, there was something else in his eyes. Albus realized that it was amazement.

“Did I ever tell you that you’re a very special person, Albus?” He asked slowly and Albus smiled.

“You’re special too, Gellert. Not everyone would make a choice like you did and choose the side to fight for those who need to be defended.”

Suddenly, Gellert grabbed Albus’ shirt and pulled him closer. They kissed for a few moments before Gellert let go of him again. “I love you.”

“And I love you too.” Albus whispered and took Gellert’s hands again. Together, they looked at the newspaper in front of them.

“We can’t prove that it’s them.” Gellert said thoughtfully.

“I doubt anyone will find out about this.” Albus agreed.

“But we can’t just do nothing.” He muttered angrily.

Albus sighed. “It seems like that.” He squeezed Gellert's hands. “But from now on, we can be more observant.”

“Not every death will be in the papers like this.” Gellert reminded him.

Albus nodded. “But what about the papers from your country? And maybe there are other ways to get information.”

This made Gellert look at him with narrowed eyes. “What do you mean?”

Albus grinned. “I might know a few people at the Ministry of Magic. And I’m sure that a few of them have contacts.”

Gellert shook his head slowly, a smile appearing on his lips. “Are you sure that it will work?”

Albus shrugged. “But it’s worth a try.” He decided. “I’ll see whom I can write later.”

“If this is really Dimitri with his friends, more will follow.” Gellert muttered. “I already told you about the plans.” He paused and breathed in deeply. “When they really want to rule over the Muggles, this is only the beginning.”

“I’m sure it is.” Albus whispered.

After that, they changed the subject. However, they both weren’t in a good mood anymore. When Albus told Gellert about Aberforth's letter, Gellert grinned. “I bet you would be a good teacher. Defence Against the Dark Arts. Somehow, that would fit.”

Albus chuckled. “I really would like to be a teacher.” He admitted. “But you wouldn’t be able to join me at Hogwarts.”

“We will find a way.” Gellert replied immediately. “If this is what you truly want, I wouldn’t stand between you and your dreams. Who knows? Maybe I would like to be a teacher as well?” His eyes were gleaming, but then he cleared his throat. “However, I doubt that any school would take me without a graduation.”

“I bet they’d take you once they see how brilliant you are.” Albus replied sternly.

Gellert didn’t seem to be convinced by this, but he kept quiet.


	19. Celebration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

The next months passed rather quickly. They kept going with their routine – teaching Ariana to control her magic, helping Bathilda with the book and doing a few things on their own. Albus had finished his paper about the uses of dragon blood and it was going to be published, while Gellert kept an eye on the events in the east.

However, nothing appeared in the  _Prophet_ again. The only information they got were from Albus’ friends at the Ministry or old papers Gellert got from eastern Europe. Sometimes, it said that Muggles just vanished, while other times, the bodies were found and it was obvious that they were killed by dark magic. As hard as they tried to find more, they couldn’t make a connection to Dimitri and his friends at Durmstrang. They would leave the school soon, and Gellert already feared that it would get worse then. However, Albus suspected that they would hold back for some time before they began to act more openly. 

They just had to keep their eyes open and wait until something big happened. Albus knew that the waiting made Gellert crazy. Because Gellert knew Dimitri, so he also knew that they were responsible for the incidents, as they were called.

To keep his mind off of those events, Gellert started to plan the vacation he and Albus would take once Aberforth finished school. Then Aberforth would stay with Ariana and they could leave. Since that would happen soon, they needed to make a plan. Elphias gave them some ideas for cities and places they should look at, and Gellert tried to plan the route as good as possible. Sometimes, Albus helped him with that. After all, he’d planned the route with Elphias some time ago as well.

Ariana was sad that they wanted to leave, but she didn’t complain. She knew how important it was for Albus to see the world. And that he and Gellert couldn’t stay at Godric’s Hollow forever. She could control her magic better every day and Albus was sure that she would be able to use a wand soon. However, there was still the problem that she didn’t attend any school. By now, she was far too old to go to Hogwarts.

Albus and Gellert have thought of teaching her at home, but it would take much time. Time in which they wouldn’t be able to do much else. They talked about it many times by now, but they didn’t find a solution yet. Maybe Aberforth would have an idea, once they told him that they’ve been practicing with Ariana. Albus suspected that his brother would get a heart attack first. And maybe try to hit him again since they risked Ariana’s life without his knowledge.

Or maybe he would stay quiet about it first. After all, they wanted to go to Aberforth’s graduation at Hogwarts with Ariana. And Albus hoped that his brother wouldn’t cause a scene in front of all those people.

* * *

The day of the graduation came sooner than expected. It was a tradition that there was a party at Hogwarts when the last exams were finished. Then, the families of the graduation classes would come to the school and there was a celebration. Of course it would be still separated into the houses. The tradition was still very new. The headmaster, Armando Dippet, had the idea this year and everyone liked it. Well, most people.

The morning they would leave for Hogwarts, Albus was very excited. Probably not as much as Ariana and Gellert, but he was still nervous. After all, he would see his old school again, the place he loved. Gellert and his sister would see the school for the first time and Albus hoped that they would like it there. Especially Gellert if they could really live there in the future. And then there was the fact that Aberforth didn’t know that they would be taking Ariana along…

Albus only noticed that Gellert was there when two arms wrapped themselves around his waist from behind. “Stop worrying.” He whispered into Albus’ ear and the sound of his voice made him shiver.

“I’m not worrying.” Albus threw in immediately.

“But you’re nervous, love. So stop thinking of it, it will be alright.” Gellert kissed Albus’ neck and he turned around in his arms. Gellert was smiling and his eyes were shining with excitement. He was wearing a plain black cloak and Albus thought that he was very handsome.

“I just hope Aberforth won’t yell at us.” Albus admitted.

“Since Ariana will be with us, he won’t dare to do that.” Gellert tried to calm him down. “And if he tries to be mean to you, he’ll have to deal with me first.”

Slowly, Albus relaxed in Gellert’s arms. “No one’s going to argue today.” He said sternly. “We’ll all have a nice day.”

When they heard footsteps on the stairs, they both looked up to see Ariana walking towards them. She was wearing a dark red cloak Albus had gotten her a few weeks ago. That, together with her braided hair, made her look very beautiful.

“You look great!” He said and hugged her tightly.

“Very stunning!” Gellert agreed and kissed her hand. Ariana just rolled her eyes at them, but she was smiling.

“Do you really think that it’s a good idea if I go with you?” She sounded insecure. “Aberforth doesn’t know that I can control it now, and I don’t want him to be afraid all day…”

“It will be fine.” Albus promised. “I’ll talk to him.”

“And what if I get nervous again? If I hurt someone?” Just now Albus noticed that she was paler than usual.

“We’ll be with you the whole time. And remember last week when we went to London together? You didn’t get nervous in the crowd, did you?” He smiled at her encouragingly.

“That was different.” She replied immediately.

“And why?” Gellert wanted to know.

“Those were muggles. They didn’t know anything about my problem.”

“And today, no one will know about it as well. They’ll just think that you’re a stunning young lady who’s being taught at home.” Albus said calmly.

After a few moments of silence, Ariana finally relaxed.

Albus held out his hand to her. “Are you ready?” When she nodded shyly, Albus turned to Gellert, who was already holding his other hand. “Then let’s go.”

* * *

Albus apparated to Hogsmeade since it wasn’t possible to go directly to Hogwarts. From there, they would have to walk. However, they all didn’t mind that. It was a warm day in the summer and next to them, there were many others walking towards the castle. Albus recognized some of them from his own time at school. Some even greeted them friendly, asking how everything was. Then, Albus would introduce Ariana and Gellert and they would talk for some time.

The only thing that bothered Albus was that he couldn’t hold Gellert’s hand. Relationships between two men couldn’t be shown in public. Albus knew that it bothered Gellert too, which was probably why he always stayed so close to him.

When the castle appeared in front of them, Ariana breathed in sharply. Next to Albus, Gellert’s eyes widened slightly and he smiled. “It’s as beautiful as you said, love.” Gellert whispered into his ear and Albus smiled.

“I already told you that you’d like it.” He whispered back. For half a second, their hands touched, but the contact was over too soon. “Maybe I can show you around.”

“That would be great.” Gellert replied with a smile.

The party would take place outside, close to the lake. When they got closer, they saw many tables with food and other things. The place was already crowded and Albus recognized many students and a few teachers. Armando Dippet was there, as well as Rufus Downright, the professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts.

It wasn’t difficult to find Aberforth in the crowd. He was standing on the edge of the large group and looked rather uncomfortable. Albus knew that his brother hated festivities like this. It was still a riddle to him why Aberforth even agreed to stay for this. In his dark cloak and with the unhappy look on his face, no one tried to approach Aberforth.

Albus took the lead, while Gellert and Ariana followed him. When they saw him, a few of the younger students started to whisper in excitement. Albus, who was used to this, just ignored them. He glanced at Gellert and saw an unreadable expression on his face. He would have loved to know what he was thinking in this moment. Maybe Albus should ask him later since now wasn’t the right moment.

Aberforth had already seen him and was walking towards them slowly. Albus suspected that he didn’t notice Ariana yet, she was still walking behind him.

Albus smiled at his brother, but before he could say anything, Ariana had walked past him and threw her arms around Aberforth. “Aberforth!” She whispered happily and hid her face in his cloak. In this moment, Albus was glad about that. Aberforth’s eyes were wide and next to shock, he could also see anger in them. The last thing he wanted was for Ariana to think that her brother didn’t want her here.

“Ariana, what are you doing here?” Aberforth asked, his voice low. Albus could still hear shock in it, but his younger brother had more control over himself than expected. When Ariana pulled back, he even smiled at her widely.

“Albus and Gellert said that I could accompany them!” She explained happily. “I really wanted to see you and the castle. And I’m glad that they allowed me to come, it’s so beautiful here.” She looked around with wide eyes and Albus had to smile at the wonder on her face. In this moment, he was glad that they’d invested all this time in Ariana’s training. Next to him, Gellert was grinning.

“You did a good job.” He whispered.

“ _We_ did, Gel.” Albus corrected him firmly. 

While Ariana was scanning their surroundings, Aberforth looked at them with raised eyebrows. Albus knew that he probably wanted to yell at them, but his brother was still holding back. Instead, he just looked at them suspiciously. And a little scared, Albus realized.

“You don’t have to worry, I’ve got it under control.” Ariana whispered now. “Albus and Gellert taught me how to do it.” She was still smiling widely. “Nothing bad is going to happen.”

In this moment, Albus could see several emotions on Aberforth’s face. First, anger. Then confusion, mixed with hurt. And in the end, relief. Next to happiness. “How did you do that?” He shook his head. “And don’t come me with your long explanations, we’ll talk about that at home. I’ll also have to tell you what I think of you doing this without telling me anything!”

“Lots of patience.” Albus said simply and grinned at his brother. “And besides, you would have never allowed this.”

After a few moments in which he watched Ariana silently, Aberforth nodded. “That’s true.” He hesitated. “I’ve never seen her this happy.” Together, they watched Ariana and Gellert who looked at the castle. “Was it difficult?”

Albus shrugged. “A little.” He admitted. “But not too much. I enjoy teaching her.”

“Maybe you would really be a good teacher.” Aberforth muttered without looking at him. “You’re going to leave with Gellert either way, aren’t you? When I’m home again.”

He nodded. “However, Ariana needs to keep practicing.”

“I can do that.” Aberforth said immediately. “I’m not such a bad wizard, after all.”

“I never said that.” Albus threw in calmly. “I know that you can do this.”

For a moment, there was surprise on Aberforth’s face, but it vanished quickly. Then someone called Albus’ name and the conversation was over. The person who called him was a girl from Aberforth’s year. Albus remembered that her name was Ella, but he couldn’t recall her last name anymore. She’s also been in Gryffindor, which is why Albus knew her quite well. Especially from his time as prefect and Head Boy, since she liked to do many stupid things.

“Ella, it’s good to see you!” He exclaimed and could just hold back a surprised gasp when she hugged him tightly.

“How are you, Albus?” She asked with a smile and somehow, he felt uncomfortable under her intensive stare. “I’ve heard that you wanted to go on a vacation with Elphias.”

He smiled back at her. “Yes, we did. However, I couldn’t accompany him.”

She frowned. “Did something happen?”

Albus was still considering how to answer that question when someone appeared next to him. He didn’t have to turn around to know that it was Gellert. Ella also looked at the newcomer and Albus saw that her eyes widened slightly. He couldn’t blame her, though. After all, Gellert really was very attractive. Again, Albus wanted to curse because he couldn’t hold Gellert’s hand in public.

“Oh, and who are you?” Ella asked now and smiled at Gellert. “My name’s Ella. Albus and I are old friends.” Old friends didn’t fit, but Albus didn’t correct her. Most probably, Gellert already knew that Albus didn’t like this conversation.

“Gellert Grindelwald.” Gellert introduced himself and smiled at Ella. “Old friends, hm? I assume you know each other from your time at school?” Even though he was smiling, his eyes were narrowed. Of course he didn’t believe the story of old friends.

“We really talked for the first time when I became prefect.” Albus explained, not wanting to hear her explanation.

“Albus was always very nice.” Ella grinned.

Gellert nodded slowly. “I bet he was…” He muttered. Then he turned to Albus. “Why don’t we look for your siblings, Albus? After all, this is a big day for your brother.”

Albus nodded, grateful for the way out of this situation. “Then let’s go.” He smiled at Ella apologetically, but before she could say anything else, Gellert had pulled Albus away from her.

“You’re even more popular than Elphias said.” Gellert muttered and Albus raised his eyebrows.

“Am I? If this is true, I didn’t notice.”

Gellert rolled his eyes. “Of course you didn’t. People are staring at you.  _Girls_ are staring. And they even try to flirt with you.” Gellert didn’t sound happy. Was he jealous? 

“If that was an attempt to flirt with me, it’s been very bad.” Albus tried to lighten the mood and smiled at Gellert. “As I said, I didn’t notice.” He leaned closer to him and whispered into his ear. “You know that I see no one but you.”

Gellert stopped abruptly and Albus ran into him. For a moment, their faces were nearly touching and they just looked into each other’s eyes. Gellert smiled softly and Albus grinned. When they leaned back, the moment was over and they continued to look for Ariana and Aberforth.

* * *

An hour later, Albus and Gellert were sitting at a table close to the lake. Aberforth and Ariana were walking around somewhere, he wanted to show her the grounds. Albus suspected that Aberforth also wanted to get her away from too many people since he was still worried.

A few more girls have tried to talk to Albus, but all of them left very fast. Some of them noticed Gellert and didn’t try to come closer anymore, while others were scared away by some of Gellert’s comments. Albus thought that it was amusing, even if he knew that Gellert did that on purpose.

Suddenly, Albus noticed that Headmaster Dippet and Professor Downright were walking towards them. Professor Downright was smiling widely. “Albus Dumbledore, it’s good to see you again!” The teacher for Defence Against the Dark Arts exclaimed loudly. “Who is your friend?”

“It’s good to see you again as well, Professor Downright, Headmaster Dippet.” Albus shook their hands with a smile. “This is Gellert Grindelwald.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Gellert said with his most charming smile.

“How have you been, Albus?” Professor Dippet asked when they sat down. “I’ve heard that there has been an accident in your family and that you were taking care of your sister ever since you finished school?”

Albus nodded. “I’ve been at Godric’s Hollow this whole time.”

“But he hasn’t been idle.” Downright threw in. “From a friend, I’ve heard that you’re searching for uses of Dragon Blood?”

“A way of passing the time, next to helping Gellert’s aunt, Bathilda Bagshot, with the research for her new book.” Albus explained.

“Your aunt is Bathilda Bagshot?” Dippet looked at Gellert attentively. “She’s writing about Hogwarts, I think that it’s really exciting. She was here a few times to get material for the book. She’s mentioned that her nephew is staying with her, but not that he’s a good friend of Albus Dumbledore.” He looked from Gellert to Albus and back. Gellert looked genuinely surprised that his aunt had mentioned him to the Headmaster of Hogwarts.

For some time, they were talking about the things Albus and Gellert were doing at the moment. At some point, they even came to Ariana’s problems with magic and that Albus and Gellert were helping her with that.

“Are you interested in teaching, Albus?” Dippet asked suddenly.

“I have thought of it, Sir.” Albus affirmed.

Dippet smiled. “Well, you might already know that Professor Downright will retire in two years from now. We’ve been talking about finding a successor some time ago, and during this conversation, your name was mentioned more than once.”

Albus looked at them with wide eyes. Next to him, Gellert smiled. “You have considered me as a possible candidate for the position of the Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts?”

They both nodded. “You were always very good at this.” Downright said with a grin. “The best student I’ve ever had. Though Armando argued that you were always better at Transfiguration.”

Dipped shook his head. “Because it’s true, he would make a good Transfiguration teacher.”

“Or Defence Against the Dark Arts. You even admitted that he was good at anything.”

Albus could do nothing more than to follow that conversation with wide eyes. Under the table, Gellert took his hand and squeezed it.

“I think Professor Jacksmith will be with us for about five more years.” Dippet said thoughtfully. “Maybe we could switch positions then, Albus could teach Transfiguration, while someone else takes the position for Defence Against the Dark Arts.”

“You didn’t even ask the young man if he would like to be a teacher.” Downright muttered.

Now they were both looking at him questioningly.

“I would love to be a teacher, if I would fit into that position.” Albus admitted hesitantly.

To his surprise, Dippet laughed. “You would fit in quite well, Albus. That’s why we’ve been thinking of you first.” He looked at Albus silently for a few moments. “I’ll send you an owl soon. Then you can travel around the world and once you’re back, you can replace Professor Downright. I think two years should be enough to see the world?”

Albus chuckled. “More than enough, Sir.”

Dippet looked pleased. Suddenly, he turned to Gellert. “And what about you, Mr. Grindelwald? Where do you see yourself in the future?”

Gellert’s eyes widened slightly, but Albus doubted that anyone else could see his surprise. “I’m not sure yet, Sir.” He said slowly. “I always wanted to improve my magical skills.”

“Gellert has been thinking of teaching as well.” Albus threw in. He knew that he risked Gellert being angry with him now, but this seemed to be their chance.

Dippet raised his eyebrows. “You did?”

Gellert nodded reluctantly. “Yes, Sir. Even if I don’t see how it could be possible.”

“You mean because of your problems at school?” Dippet asked. When Gellert’s face turned into a neutral mask, he chuckled. “Your aunt talks very much.” He looked at Gellert with narrowed eyes. “Did you enjoy helping Albus’ sister with her magic?”

“Very much, Sir.” Gellert answered immediately.

“And you say that he’s a skilled wizard?” This time, the question was directed at Albus.

“I don’t know anyone at our age who is better.” He confirmed.

“Except for yourself.” Gellert muttered.

Dippet smiled at them. “I like you, Mr. Grindelwald.” He said finally. “I assume that you won’t be far away once Albus comes to Hogwarts?”

Gellert just nodded.

Dippet was still smiling. “I’ll send you both an owl.”

With that, he stood up and walked towards the castle.

Professor Downright looked after him and shrugged. “He’s always like this.” He told Gellert. “I think I’ll hear from you soon.” After a short goodbye, he went to the castle as well.

Albus and Gellert looked at each other. “Did that just happen?” Albus asked quietly.

Gellert nodded. “Either that, or we’re both dreaming.”

* * *

“It’s really beautiful.” Gellert said with a smile. They were walking through the castle and Albus also enjoyed being back.

“Could you imagine living here someday?” He asked hesitantly, thinking of the conversation with Professor Dippet again.

“Maybe.” Gellert admitted. “But Albus, I don’t think that they’ll let me stay here. I didn’t even finish school.”

“You heard Dippet. If he really wants you to be here, he’ll find a solution.”

“But would others accept that?” Gellert frowned.

“Why shouldn’t they? Even in that short conversation, you made them both see how brilliant you are. Your explanation about the new spells you’re inventing was amazing.” Albus looked around and when no one was there, he kissed Gellert on the cheek.

“It was nothing next to you talking about dragon blood and how we’re helping your sister.” Gellert muttered. Suddenly, he raised his eyebrows. “How does Dippet even know the story with Ariana?”

“He’s got relatives in Godric’s Hollow. They’re living close to us.” Albus explained. “Most probably, they saw or heard something. And I think they knew my parents, but I’m not sure.”

Gellert nodded slowly. “It was strange, talking about it so openly.”

Albus nodded. “But we couldn’t lie to them, could we?”

Gellert rolled his eyes, but he grinned. “You’re too honest.”

“You’re getting there yourself, Gel.” Albus threw in. This seemed to make Gellert thoughtful.

“I assume you’re right.” He said finally.

Albus grinned. “It’s not a bad thing.”

“If you say so.” Gellert chuckled. “Could you imagine that? The two of us as teachers for Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts?”

Albus nodded. “Yes, I can.”

“Would be a crazy turn of events, right? Me teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts?” Gellert smiled ironically. “After everything I’ve done.”

“You didn’t do anything.” Albus reminded him. “And I think it would suit you. All your new ideas about the Greater Good, teaching students to defend themselves would fit in there.”

“Don’t get my hopes up.” Gellert muttered. “It will never happen.”

“Wait and see.” Albus said. “Dippet didn’t seem averse to the idea.”

“Let’s talk about something else.”

So Albus started to tell Gellert old stories from school, fitting to the places in the castle they saw.


	20. Time Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

“Why on earth didn’t you tell me about this?!?” Aberforth yelled. “This is dangerous!”

“Aberforth, we know that.” Albus tried to calm his brother down.

“She could have died! You know what happens when she gets too excited!”

“During all our lessons, she always stayed calm.” Albus tried to explain everything, but Aberforth wouldn’t listen.

“And what about you? You could have gotten hurt as well. I always knew that you tend to have stupid ideas, Albus, but this surpasses everything!” Suddenly, Aberforth just stopped shouting at him and breathed in deeply. Right after their return from Hogwarts in the evening, Aberforth had sent Gellert and Ariana away to talk to Albus in private. Though Albus already suspected that their conversation could be heard through the entire house. Or at least Aberforth’s part.

“Gellert and I were very careful. We knew what we were doing, Ab.” It was the first time Albus called his brother by his nickname.

Aberforth sighed. “I doubt that you knew exactly what you were getting yourself into.”

Albus crossed his arms. “I am fully aware of what Ariana’s capable of. And Gellert knows this too. Or did you forget the incident with the cat?” At his words, Aberforth flinched. Albus continued without waiting for another reaction. “I knew that you would have never allowed us to practice with her. And you can believe me when I say that we did everything to make sure that no one got hurt during our lessons.”

“And she really asked you to teach her?” Aberforth’s voice was weak now. Right before she went outside with Gellert, Ariana had assured Aberforth that everything has been her idea.

“She was happy about it, even if she also was afraid that she might hurt us.” Albus nodded. “I guided her through all the lessons. It wasn’t easy at first.”

“I’ve never heard of something like that before.” Aberforth muttered. “No one can help when someone’s not able to control their magic. They always said that.” Suddenly, he looked curious. “How did you do it?”

Albus ran a hand through his hair. “Patience. And maybe she allowed me to use Legilimency.” He explained slowly.

Aberforth raised his eyebrows. “So you can really do that?”

He nodded.

“Isn’t that difficult?”

“Not for me.” Albus replied. “It’s as natural as breathing, one of the professors once said that I have a natural talent for it. Though I would never use it without asking first.” He assured when he saw the slightly worried look on Aberforth’s face.

“And can he do it as well?” Albus didn’t have to ask to know that he meant Gellert.

“I’m teaching him.” He said simply. It wasn’t that easy for Gellert, but he was a fast learner once they managed not to get distracted by each other anymore.

“So he could look into our heads if he wanted to?” Now Aberforth really sounded worried.

Albus shook his head. “Gellert would never do that.”

Aberforth raised an eyebrow. “How would you know?”

“I know him better than anyone else. And I trust him.” Albus crossed his arms. “You should try that too. It makes many things easier.”

“You know what I think of him.” Aberforth muttered darkly.

“And you also have to admit that he’s changed in the past months.”

“That doesn’t have to mean anything.” Aberforth sighed. “I still can’t believe that you let him practice with Ariana as well.”

“Most of the time, he just watches us.” Albus explained. That wasn’t completely true. First, Gellert had just watched them. But in the past weeks, he’d also practiced with Ariana. However, Aberforth didn’t need to know that. “And even if he’s also helping her, you don’t have to worry.”

For some time, his brother just looked at him silently. Then he sighed. “When you’ll leave soon, you have to tell me what to do first.”

Albus nodded slowly, knowing that he’d won the argument this time. “I can show you tomorrow. And Ariana knows it as well.” He hesitated. “We’ve been thinking of getting her a wand. Without one, there aren’t many new things she can learn anymore.”

Now Aberforth stared at him with wide eyes. “You think what?!? That’s even more dangerous.”

“Not necessarily.” Albus threw in. “You don’t know what she can do by now.”

“I won’t practice with her with a wand.” Aberforth said sternly.

“And if she wants it?” Albus raised his eyebrows. “Would you deny her that?”

“I’m still against teaching her anything.”

“Don’t let her hear that. Otherwise, she might get really upset.” Albus ran a hand through his hair. “You have to understand that it makes her really happy to learn. I’ve never seen her this relaxed. Do you want to take that from her again?”

“Why do you even have to travel around the world with him? It seems like you’ve been quite happy here as well.”

“I can’t stay here forever. I want to do something in my life, Ab.” Albus explained softly. “And I want to see the world, together with Gellert. It has always been my dream.”

“And after that, you want to be a teacher at Hogwarts.” Aberforth assumed.

Albus nodded. “They asked me today.”

“I already thought so.” Aberforth muttered. “Ariana can stay with me.”

“That’s what I thought.”

They just stood there in silence for some time, both lost in their own thoughts. In the end, Aberforth sighed. “Alright, I’ll try teaching her. If you explain to me how to do it. I don’t want her to get hurt.”

Albus smiled. “That won’t happen.” He assured his brother.

* * *

“Our first stop will be Paris.” Gellert whispered with a smile and played with Albus’ hair absent-mindedly. “From there, we’ll travel through Europe and then to Africa. Then we’ll go to Asia and Australia. And the last station will be America.”

It was late in the evening and they were lying in bed together. Albus had his arms wrapped around Gellert’s waist and hid his face in his neck. “Sounds like a good plan.” He whispered.

“What’s on your mind?” Gellert asked now. “You’re so quiet ever since you talked to your brother.”

Slowly, Albus looked up. There was a frown on Gellert’s face. “I’ve just been thinking of Ariana. And if Aberforth will be able to practice with her.”

“We already discussed that.” Gellert said softly. “When we’ll show him what to do, there won’t be a problem. And otherwise, he can still send an owl to us. Even if I wouldn’t like that. Having you all to myself is a very tempting thought.” He leaned in to kiss Albus.

Albus kissed him back slowly and tightened his grip around Gellert’s waist. “I love you.” He whispered once they parted.

“I love you too.” Gellert smiled. “Everything will be fine, I’m sure of that.”

Slowly, Albus relaxed. “Alright, I’ll try not to worry.”

“Not trying, doing it.” Gellert muttered and started to place kisses on his neck. Albus shivered at the contact. Then he realized that Gellert started to unbutton his shirt. He always knew how to distract Albus.

Later that night, Albus was woken by a strange sound. He opened his eyes slowly, just to realize that Gellert had his arms wrapped around him tightly. The noise were Gellert’s whimpers. He was having a nightmare. There was a pained expression on his face.

“Gellert, love. You have to wake up. It’s just a dream, I’m here. You’re fine.” Albus didn’t know how long he whispered words of comfort, but suddenly, Gellert opened his eyes and sat up quickly. He ran a hand through his hair and looked around disorientated, until he saw Albus next to him. Finally, he started to relax.

“Albus?”

“It’s fine, Gel. You had a nightmare.” Albus touched his hand carefully, afraid that Gellert might flinch away from him. His worries were unjustified. As soon as their hands touched, Gellert pulled Albus closer again and buried his face on his chest.

“I love you, Albus.” Gellert whispered. “You know that?”

“Of course, love.” Albus replied softly. “And I love you too.”

For some time, he just held Gellert and listened to his breathing, which was getting calmer again. Albus already thought that Gellert fell back to sleep when he spoke. “I had a strange dream.”

When Albus realized that Gellert wouldn’t say anything else, he decided to ask. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I saw the man with the red hair again.” Gellert looked up and Albus could see the uneasy expression on his face. “You were talking to him, at Hogwarts. And I was there too. It looked like we were explaining something to him. He was carrying a suitcase, though I don’t know what was in there.”

Albus listened to him silently. “What else did you see?”

“Dimitri.” Gellert muttered flatly. “And you.” He breathed in shakily. “It looked like you were duelling. You were lying on the ground and he pointed his wand at you. I couldn’t get to you in time.” Now he closed his eyes and Albus realized that he was also shivering.

“It was just a dream.” He reminded him. “Nothing that will come true.”

“But some of my dreams do.” Gellert whispered quietly.

“You also saw the two of us as opponents.” Albus threw in. “And that will never come true. So why should this dream mean something?”

“I have a bad feeling about this. Even more than last time.” Gellert admitted.

“As long as we’ll stay together, everything will be fine.” Albus whispered. “I bet this was just a nightmare and didn’t mean anything.”

“Promise me to be careful, Albus.” Gellert’s voice was pleading now. “I can’t lose you.”

“I promise.” Albus said immediately. “And you won’t.” He kissed him. “You know that you’ll never get rid of me again.”

For half a second, there was a tired smile on Gellert’s face. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“Do you think that you can sleep again?” Albus asked.

Gellert shrugged. “Otherwise, I’ll just watch you, love.”

“Don’t think of it anymore.”

“I’ll try.”

Albus sighed. “Not trying, doing it.” He repeated the words Gellert had used only hours earlier.

It had the wanted effect, Gellert chuckled. “Sleep well, Albus.”

Half an hour later, Albus was still awake, while Gellert was sleeping next to him peacefully.

* * *

“And don’t forget to stay calm. That is the essential part.” Albus told his brother.

Aberforth rolled his eyes. “The past two weeks, you said that about a million times.”

“I just want to make sure that you’re alright.” Albus defended himself.

“We will be.” Aberforth said sternly. “I will practice with Ariana every day. And you’ve already shown her the basics with her new wand. I can perform a perfect charm to defend myself and I can repair every damage that might happen. We’re prepared for your absence. Don’t even think that we might send you an owl.” Suddenly, his face became softer. “Enjoy your vacation.”

Albus smiled. “Thank you, Aberforth.”

Aberforth’s lips twitched. “I’m still angry with you.” He reminded him, though he didn’t look like it at all. And Albus knew that his brother was bluffing. Once he’d seen how good Ariana could control herself, all of his doubts had vanished. He was even grateful that they taught her how to control herself. Now they were starting with the basics of magic with a wand. The trip to Diagon Alley had been very exciting for Ariana. Luckily, no one asked questions why she needed her first wand at this age.

In their last weeks at Godric’s Hollow, Albus and Gellert had started to show her the basic spells you were taught in the first year at school. To their surprise, Bathilda had offered to help Aberforth with Ariana’s training. Albus suspected that his brother was glad about it, even if he would never admit that.

“You’re not.” Albus said now and grinned.

Aberforth crossed his arms. “Believe whatever you want.” He muttered. “You’ll send us letters? I’m just asking because Ariana will be worried when we don’t hear from you on a regular basis.”

“We will.” Albus promised.

For a few moments, the brothers just looked at each other silently. Then Aberforth took a step forward and hugged Albus shortly. The contact only lasted about ten seconds, but it told Albus everything he needed to know. His brother would miss him.

“I’ll see you sometime.” He said and Aberforth just nodded.

Then Albus turned to Ariana, who was leaning on the doorframe, together with Gellert and Bathilda. He held out his arms and she ran to him quickly. After a long hug, he smiled at her.

“I will miss you.” Ariana whispered and there was a sad expression on her face now. Luckily, she wasn’t crying. Albus wasn’t sure if he could stand to see her this upset.

“We’ll miss you too, Ari. But we’ll write you. And we’ll back before you know it.”

She smiled sadly. “Have fun. And be careful, please.”

“We will be.” Albus promised.

“I’ll take care of him, you don’t have to worry.” Gellert added.

Ariana turned to him. “You have to be careful too.”

Gellert’s face softened and he smiled. “I promise.”

Albus glanced at Aberforth. His brother had followed the short exchange of words with an unreadable expression on his face.

“I’m sure you’ll write me too?” Bathilda asked curiously.

“Of course.” Albus said immediately.

“Very good. I’ll let you know when I finish my book. Even if I think that you’ll be already back by that time. After all, you’ve got a job then.” Her eyes were shining at the last words. Last week, two owls from Hogwarts had arrived. Albus was going to be a teacher in two years from now, while Gellert would be invited to a conversation with the Headmaster then. Albus suspected that it would be about Gellert’s future at the school.

After hugging Bathilda as well, Albus and Gellert took their bags and disapparated. The last thing Albus saw were Aberforth, Ariana and Bathilda standing next to each other. Bathilda was smiling, while there was a sad look on Ariana’s face. Aberforth had his arm wrapped around her shoulders and Albus thought that his brother was smiling as well.

* * *

Paris was a wonderful city. Albus and Gellert spent days just looking at everything. Especially Albus was very impressed by all the sights. In the magical community, they met many interesting people. Even a few young women in their age, who told them a few stories about their school, the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. In return, they told them about London and Hogwarts. Secretly, Albus suspected that they were just talking to them because of Gellert since they all couldn’t take their eyes away from him during the entire conversation. To Albus’ satisfaction, Gellert didn’t even seem to notice that he was being watched closely.

When he told him about that later, Gellert just laughed. “My love, they can watch me as much as they want. I don’t care. And I think one of them just had eyes for you.” He told Albus with a wink. That night, Gellert showed Albus exactly how much he loved him.

One day, when they were walking through the streets of Paris aimlessly, they were addressed by an old man with long, white hair. He was very thin and moved slowly, but he smiled at them widely. Out of nowhere, he asked them if they were enjoying Paris. After all, it was a magical day.

His name was Nicolas Flamel and he was a wizard. Albus and Gellert weren’t sure how he identified them as wizards as well in a street full of muggles, and they didn’t want to ask him. Later, Flamel explained that he’d already seen them a few days before, while they were looking at a shop that sold magical equipment.

Nicolas Flamel was an alchemist and they spent many weeks in his company. Their actual plan had only contained about two weeks in Paris, but Albus and Gellert stayed with Nicolas Flamel and his wife for months. They quickly became friends with him and Flamel could teach them many things. He was also very interested in their studies and they spent many evenings discussing spells or other things. Of course Flamel discovered that their relationship wasn’t just a friendly one very fast, but he didn’t care. He only smiled at them when they were holding hands in the house, which they dared to do after some time.

They soon discovered that Nicolas and his wife Perenelle were much older than they looked like. They kept this presumption to themselves, until, one day, Flamel told them about his biggest secret. The Philosopher’s Stone and the Elixir of Life.

When Albus asked him why he shared his secret with them, the answer was simple. “I trust you two. And I have the feeling that you are destined to do great things in your lives. All my conversations with you over the last months, as well as your ideas concerning the ‘Greater Good’ as you call it, have confirmed this.” Flamel had answered with a smile. “You will leave soon, but I think it won’t be the last time we’ll see each other. And maybe you will need this knowledge someday.”

Especially Gellert had been surprised by this confession. Sometimes, he still thought that he wasn’t worth someone’s trust, after all the things he’d done at Durmstrang. Albus did his best to convince him that he was wrong, but sometimes, Gellert’s doubts came back.

The day they left Paris, the Flamel’s made them promise to write letters regularly. Albus and Gellert agreed immediately. They both liked Nicolas and his wife very much.

The next station of their journey was Rome. Since they stayed in Paris for about six months, their whole trip was delayed now, but neither Albus nor Gellert cared. They still had one and a half years until they had to meet with Professor Dippet at Hogwarts, so there was no rush on their journey.

They both enjoyed it very much to have time for themselves. No obligations, no worries, nothing. And most of the time, they could just be themselves. In some countries, they didn’t even have to pretend that they were just friends. It was a great feeling.

During all this time, they tried to follow the events in eastern Europe as good as possible. They avoided to get into the region close to Durmstrang on their journey. Gellert didn’t want to meet Dimitri or his followers, as he called them. He was still afraid because of the nightmare he’d had after their departure from Godric’s Hollow. To make him feel better, Albus agreed to stay away from there immediately.

There were many rumours about the deaths of Muggles by Dark Magic in the east, but there were rarely reports in the papers. Once, they even heard a rumour that a group of witches and wizards was gathering in Russia to take over the world. However, they were told that the man who’d heard this was insane. Somehow, Albus and Gellert doubted that.

They exchanged letters with Ariana and Bathilda on a regular basis and sometimes, Albus also wrote to Elphias, who was in England again. And they wrote to Nicolas Flamel and his wife a few times.

At home, everything seemed to be alright. Aberforth and Bathilda were helping Ariana with her magic and slowly, she was making progress. Albus was glad to hear that. He would have loved to see it by himself, but they would only return to Godric’s Hollow a few days before their departure to Hogwarts.

In the end, the time passed faster than expected. The closer the end of their journey came, the more excited Albus and Gellert got. Albus because he was really going to be a teacher, and Gellert because he didn’t know what the future was holding for him. Albus really hoped that Gellert could stay with him at Hogwarts in those three years until he would be a teacher himself. Otherwise, they already planned to get a small flat at Hogsmeade for Gellert. Then they could see each other every day.

And then, the day was there. After two final weeks at Godric’s Hollow, Albus and Gellert were preparing to leave for Hogwarts. Headmaster Dippet had even organized them a Portkey. It was a scarf of Gryffindor.


	21. Hogwarts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Teaching at Hogwarts was a whole new experience for Albus. Talking in front of many others had never bothered him and he liked to explain things. Gellert and Ariana had always said that he was very good at this – and his first weeks as a teacher confirmed their words. The students liked their new teacher Professor Dumbledore – he still had to get used to that – very much. And he loved teaching them new things.

Defence Against the Dark Arts has always fascinated him and now he could show young people many ways to defend themselves in a fight. And of course he also showed them how to attack, even if he hoped that they would never need it. However, the thoughts of Dimitri and his followers were still on his mind. Somehow, he had the feeling that something bad was going to happen. Maybe not now or in the next years, but it was going to come. Gellert also dreamt of it.

While Albus was at Hogwarts and taught the students, Gellert was living in Hogsmeade. Dippet had organized him a small apartment over some kind of bar that wasn’t very popular. It was called The Hog’s Head and Gellert said that it was normally empty. Albus had met the owner once, it was a very old wizard called Edward, but he didn’t like to talk about himself. They only knew that he wanted to get rid of the building soon. When Albus mentioned this to his brother once he visited his siblings at home, there was a certain gleam in Aberforth’s eyes which couldn’t mean anything good. Only later Albus got to know that his brother wanted to buy the building and live there with Ariana.

In three years, Gellert would also be a teacher at Hogwarts. Professor Grindelwald, teacher for Defence Against the Dark Arts. Then Albus would be responsible for Transfiguration. And he thought that Dippet planned to make him Head of Gryffindor, but he wasn’t so sure yet. It was still a rumour. One that didn’t get old, even as time passed. However, it would fit. After all, Albus had been in Gryffindor as well.

For now, Gellert was working on a book in Hogsmeade. The idea came from Headmaster Dippet himself, it was about certain new spells Gellert was working on. Next to that, Gellert was helping in the Library of Hogwarts. They were just assembling a new system for the books and help was really needed. Gellert took the job immediately, knowing that it would give them more time together. Sometimes, Gellert even stayed in Albus’ quarters overnight, even if it wasn’t allowed. At least not now, in three years, they would share these rooms. Unofficially, of course.

The other teachers at Hogwarts accepted Albus very quickly and he was glad about it. No one said a word about his age. Albus knew himself that he was very young to be a teacher. However, he fit in well and it made him happy. Dippet had also introduced Gellert to the other teachers and they liked him as well. No one seemed to know about his past at Durmstrang. Of course Dippet didn’t mention that Gellert should be a teacher in a few years yet. Only Professor Jacksmith knew about her successor.

Albus also exchanged letters with Aberforth on a regular basis. He was at home now and taught Ariana how to use her wand. She was learning very fast and Albus hoped that she could be a normal witch soon. Then she wouldn’t have to hide anymore.

In their free time, Albus and Gellert often explored the castle and the grounds together. First, the students were surprised when they walked around together, but they got used to it very quickly. Some even joked about Professor Dumbledore and his secret boyfriend. Luckily, no one knew how right those people were and the other teachers just rolled their eyes. Only Professor Dippet smiled knowingly then and Albus suspected that the headmaster knew about them. However, he never said a word and it didn’t seem to bother him.

Both Albus and Gellert loved to find our more secrets about Hogwarts. Especially Gellert liked the legends about the founders of the castle. He was thrilled to live at Hogwarts too in a few years. And time passed very fast now that they were both busy. Well, Albus was even busier than Gellert. However, it was Gellert who kept an eye on the events in the East when Albus was teaching. And with time, the activity of dark magic in eastern Europe increased. Until now, no one knew who was responsible for this, but slowly, people got scared. Even the muggles, who didn’t know what really happened. It was disturbing.

One evening in the summer, Albus and Gellert were sitting at the lake together and watched the sunset. It had been a busy day for Albus since the exams at the end of the year were close now. Then his first year at Hogwarts would be already over. He invested more time in his classes and answered all the questions as good as possible. And of course he had to prepare the exams for everyone.

“How was your day?” Gellert asked now. He’d just told Albus about his new book and a few new ideas. “You look tired.”

“I am.” Albus confirmed. “It was an exhausting day.”

“The exams?” Gellert raised his eyebrows.

He nodded. “I have to prepare everything and you won’t believe how many questions the students have.”

“I can imagine.” Gellert muttered and smiled slightly. “But you love teaching, love.”

“I do.” Now Albus had to smile as well. “And I love you.” How he would have loved to kiss Gellert now. Unfortunately, they could be seen, so it wasn’t possible.

Gellert’s expression softened. “I love you too, Albus.” He took Albus’ hand, hidden under their cloaks, and squeezed it.

“You will like it as well, I know it.” Albus said. “And then you’ll also get to know how exhausting children can be.” He grinned.

“I already know that.” Gellert muttered. “They’re already harassing me with questions in the library.”

Albus chuckled. “It’s your own fault when you know where every single book stands.”

Gellert rolled his eyes. “Sometimes, I think that I’m the only person with a functional memory.” Now he joined Albus’ laughter.

For some time, they just sat there together and looked at the lake. “I got a letter from Aberforth.” Albus told him.

“What does he say?” Gellert asked curiously. “Does he still complain about the new neighbours?”

At Godric’s Hollow, a new family of muggles had bought the house next to the one of the Dumbledore's. They had many children and they were always very loud. The kids even tried to scare Ariana once. Luckily, she was able to control herself now. Otherwise, this could have ended badly.

“Of course he does.” Albus confirmed. “But he wrote something else.” When Gellert raised his eyebrows, Albus continued. “He wants to buy a house in Hogsmeade.”

“Wait, are you saying that he wants to move out in Godric’s Hollow?” Now Gellert stared at him wide-eyed.

Albus shook his head. “I’m not so sure about that, it sounded like he wants to keep our house as well. After all, it belongs to me in the first place and he can’t just sell it. But he wants to stay in Hogsmeade most of the time. I think Ariana convinced him that she’d be happier closer to us.”

“And where in Hogsmeade?”

Albus grinned. “Looks like you will get a new landlord.”

Gellert stared at him. “You’re not joking.” He muttered when he saw Albus’ expression. “You know that he hates me, this will never work. And he’s your little brother. This is predestined to end in disaster.”

“He doesn’t hate you.” Albus threw in immediately.

“He does, you know that as well as I do.” Gellert muttered and ran his free hand through his hair. The other one was still holding Albus’ own hand tightly.

“Well, maybe at first.” He admitted reluctantly. “But he accepted you a long time ago. You may never be best friends, but you’ll get along.”

“This is to be seen…” Gellert muttered and now he was staring at the water darkly. Again, their words were followed by silence. Albus looked at Gellert from the corner of his eyes. His blond hair was framing his face and the light of the sun made his blue eyes shine. Even after all this time together, Albus still thought that he was the most beautiful man on earth. Gellert was looking thoughtful now and suddenly, he turned his head and looked into Albus’ eyes.

The frown on his face vanished slowly and was replaced by a soft look with a small smile on his lips. “My Albus…” Gellert whispered and touched Albus’ cheek carefully. It was obvious that he didn’t care if anyone could see them. “You’re so beautiful.” By now, Albus knew that it was of no use to argue with Gellert about this. He would also never change his mind.

With his free hand, Albus touched the necklace he got from Gellert which he was always carrying under his shirt. The Greater Good. All the events that brought them together came to his mind right now. He could still remember the day Bathilda first introduced Gellert to him as if it had been just yesterday. So many things have changed ever since. Albus didn’t know what he should do without this man in his life.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” He asked quietly and Gellert’s smile turned wider.

“I’d love to.” He replied softly.

Albus smiled, but he could see something in Gellert’s eyes now which made the smile vanish again. Then he caught a glimpse of an image. Gellert reading a letter from someone he knew from his past. It had made him angry, so what did it say?

When Gellert noticed that Albus had seen a flash of his memories, he sighed. “I still have to work on the Occlumency lessons, don’t I?” He asked jokingly, but without humour in his eyes, and ran a hand through his hair again. “It’s fine, don’t apologize. I’ve got nothing to hide from you.” He said quickly when Albus already opened his mouth. He would never use Legilimency without permission, but sometimes he couldn’t help seeing certain things. It had happened with students too, accidentally of course. “I got a letter from Frederic this morning, he was living close to us back then.” Albus remembered that Frederic had been a friend of Gellert’s parents.

“What did he write?” He asked curiously. “You were furious.”

“He hold me to stay out of his business.” Gellert explained. He looked frustrated now. “Even if he’s an Auror, he can’t just help anyone.”

Albus raised his eyebrows sceptically. “Didn’t you say that he was always very nice?”

Gellert nodded. “He was. But now something has changed.”

“And you just asked if he knew something about the attacks on muggles?” Albus asked.

“Exactly.” Gellert bowed his head lightly. “That can mean two things. Either he’s really just busy at work, like he told me. Or he’s working with them now.”

“You don’t think that he might be working on that case and it’s forbidden to tell anyone else about this?”

“Then he wouldn’t have told me to back off.” Gellert muttered. “I know Frederic, or at least I knew him years ago. He was never like this.”

“So this source of information won’t work.” Albus said thoughtfully.

Gellert nodded. “Your friends at the Ministry are more reliable.” It was true, a few of Albus’ friends were Aurors now and they told him everything they knew about the events in the east on a regular basis. And Elphias Doge was also working for the Ministry, not as an Auror but a jurist, but he got to know things as well.

“Did the papers say anything else? I didn’t get a chance to look at them this morning.”

Gellert shook his head. “Nothing, but that was to be expected.” It was true, the  _Prophet_ rarely reported about the events outside of England. 

“So we’ll have to wait.” Albus muttered.

“That’s what we’ve been doing for nearly two years now, Albus.” Gellert sighed. “Slowly it gets annoying.”

“We have to be patient, love.” Albus said softly. “We can’t do anything now.”

“I know that.” He grumbled darkly.

Albus stood up slowly. “Let’s go inside.” He suggested. “I bet I can take your mind off of those things.” He smiled invitingly.

* * *

The next morning, Albus was sitting in Professor Dippet’s office. The headmaster wanted to speak to him before the first lesson. “As you know, Professor Jacksmith wanted to retire in two years from now.” The headmaster started the conversation once Albus sat down.

Albus nodded silently, still insecure about the reason for this conversation.

“I talked to her again yesterday.” Dippet continued. “And she considers leaving us already next year. She’s feeling tired more often and the strict teaching plan doesn’t make her feel better anymore. I told her that it would be alright for her to leave earlier.” He smiled. “I hope you know what this means?”

Albus stared at the man in front of him. “You mean that the post as teacher for Transfiguration will be free earlier, sir?”

Dippet nodded. “And I think your friend Mr. Grindelwald will be also happy to start his new job earlier. He’s a great help at the library, but the work there will be done within the next year, I think.”

“So Gellert will be able to teach here?” Albus asked hopefully. Until now, Dippet hadn’t told them his final decision.

The headmaster nodded. “He’s very smart. We could use someone like him. And Transfiguration will suit you, Albus. Even if you’re also a good teacher for Defence Against the Dark Arts.” Dippet looked at the clock on the wall. “You still have thirty minutes until your first lesson starts. Your friend is in the library. Why don’t you tell him the news?”

Albus smiled. “Thank you, sir.”

“I already told you that it’s Armando when we’re alone, Albus.” He said and grinned.

Albus nodded and smiled shyly. “Thank you.” He repeated before he left the office.

* * *

He found Gellert in the library, just like Professor Dippet said. This early in the morning, no one else was there.

“Albus, what are you doing here?” Gellert asked and raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Your lesson starts soon.”

Albus nodded impatiently. “Yes, I know. But I have to tell you something.” He smiled widely. “I just talked to Professor Dippet.”

Gellert looked at him curiously. “What is it?”

“Professor Jacksmith will retire next year.” Albus told him. “And Dipped asked if you want to start teaching then.”

For a few moments, Gellert only stared at him wide-eyed. “Are you serious?”

“Deadly serious.” Albus replied and wrapped his arms around Gellert. No one was there who could see them.

“Next year…” Gellert muttered and slowly, a smile spread on his lips. “I’ll be a teacher next year?”

Albus grinned. “And then you can let go of that flat in Hogsmeade.”

“As if I’d be there very often.” Gellert muttered and laughed quietly. Then he leaned in to kiss Albus.


	22. Teaching

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

“And then one of them asked me how we knew each other.” Gellert explained and smiled slightly. “Of course they all knew that I've been working in the library those past two years. So they also knew that we're friends. Seemed like they wanted to know how we got to know each other.”

“What did you tell them?” Albus asked curiously. It was Friday afternoon, which meant that it was the end of Gellert's first week as a teacher at Hogwarts. And the end of Albus' first week as Transfiguration teacher.

Gellert chuckled. “Just that we're old friends. Nothing else.” He rolled his eyes. “They're third grades, Albus. I don't need to tell them anything about my personal life.” Suddenly, his expression turned thoughtful. “It looked like they miss you.”

Albus smiled. “I bet they'll love you soon, just give them time. It's always difficult when a new teacher shows up.” It was true, his first weeks also hadn't been that easy. However, the mistrust of the students vanished as soon as they realized that Albus was a really nice teacher. And that he could show them many new things. “And they're still seeing me in their Transfiguration lessons.”

“That's not the same.” Gellert muttered thoughtfully. “Maybe Defence Against the Dark Arts doesn't suit me that well after all.”

“Says someone who's been here for a week.” Albus shook his head. “Be patient. Everything will be fine, I'm sure of that.”

“I hope you're right.” Gellert admitted and for a few seconds, the confidence he showed around others vanished and doubts were obvious on his face. However, the expression vanished again very fast. Gellert didn't like showing vulnerability when others except for Albus were around. And now they were walking through the corridors of the castle, which meant that they could meet others every second.

“I am.” Albus grinned.

Gellert's eyes narrowed, but he was also smiling. “Since when are you so confident?”

“I just know that you'll be the perfect teacher, Gel.” Albus said simply and led Gellert to the Great Hall. Slowly, Gellert was getting used to walking towards the teacher's table together with Albus. On his first day, he'd hesitated, but no one except for Albus had noticed his insecurity. And then Professor Dippet had introduced the new Professor Grindelwald and he'd shown nothing than confidence in front of the students.

At the beginning of this year, there had been another surprise. Next to his new position as teacher of Transfiguration, Albus was now also Head of Gryffindor. When Professor Jacksmith had retired, she'd asked Professor Dippet to give that position to Albus. He'd agreed immediately, even if Albus had doubts about this. After all, he was only teaching at Hogwarts for two years. And he was far too young to be Head of House. However, the students had been thrilled by this turn of events, which made some of his doubts vanish again. That and Gellert's incredible technique to distract him. Of course only when they were alone.

“Will they ever stop staring at us?” Gellert whispered while they were walking through the hall.

“Maybe.” Albus whispered back and smiled slightly. It was true, every time he was with Gellert, the students were staring at them. They'd also stared at Albus in his first two years, but never like this. Sometimes, he wondered if the children could see that he and Gellert were more than friends. But then he scolded himself inwardly. They were very careful and there was no way that the students could see through them that easily.

“It's disturbing.” Gellert muttered and Albus could see some tension in his shoulders.

“We're authorities here.” He reminded him. “And you're a new teacher. They always get more attention.”

“And I've heard that you're one of the most popular teachers here.” Gellert threw in.

Albus frowned. “Who told you that?”

Gellert didn't get a chance to answer his question. In this moment, a young girl stood up from the Gryffindor table and walked towards them. Albus recognized her from his Defence Against the Dark Arts classes last year. Her name was Madeleine and she was prefect of Gryffindor. “Good evening, Professor Dumbledore.” She smiled at him and then looked at Gellert. “And Professor Grindelwald.”

“Good evening to you too, Madeleine.” Albus replied with a smile. “How was your first week at school?”

“Very good, thank you for asking, sir.” She said and Albus could see hesitation on her face. “It's my last year at school and I want to make the best of it.”

“You should enjoy your time here.” Albus agreed. “It's over sooner than you think.”

She nodded. “Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you.” Now he was sure that she was hesitating. And she looked at her feet shyly.

“You can ask me anything you want.” When she glanced at Gellert uncertainly, Albus knew why she was feeling uncomfortable. Apparently, she wanted to discuss whatever was going on with him in private. “Or do you want to speak to me in my office?”

“I can just leave you two alone.” Gellert said simply and continued to walk towards the teacher's table. Not before mouthing ' _See you later'_ to Albus. 

When Gellert was gone, Madeleine relaxed slowly, but some tension still remained in her shoulders. “We don't have to discuss this here.” Albus said softly and gestured for her to follow him. The Great Hall wasn't crowded yet, but a few students followed them with their eyes curiously.

Albus led her to an empty classroom and leaned on the table. “So what is going on?” He asked with a smile. “I assume that it's important when you're asking me on a Friday afternoon?”

“I'm sorry, sir. I didn't want to disturb you.” Now Madeleine looked really uncomfortable.

“You never disturb me. I'm your Head of House, which means that you can always come to me when there are problems or you have questions. I thought that I made that clear on Monday.” Honestly, he thought that all the students knew that by now. In the past two years, some children had come to him with their problems, even if he hadn't been Head of House by then. Albus also knew that a few students of the other houses were disappointed now because he belonged to Gryffindor.

“You did. Actually, I wanted to talk to you next week. But I've been thinking about it all day and when I saw you walking in together with Professor Grindelwald...” She shrugged. “I couldn't stop myself.”

“It's fine.” He assured her again.

“It's about Finn.” Albus knew that Finn was her boyfriend. He was in her year, also in Gryffindor. And when he was right, he was having a few problems at school. His grades weren't that good, especially at Transfiguration. One evening, Albus had heard Professor Jacksmith complaining about him. Apparently, they didn't get along well. “He's worried that he won't be good enough this year. I told him to talk to someone because of his problems, but he's too shy to do this. And his worst subject is Transfiguration. Since you're teaching that now and you're also Head of House, I thought that it was a good idea to mention his problem to you now.”

“Does Finn know that you're here with me now?” Albus asked slowly, already assuming what she was going to ask next.

She nodded. “He wasn't thrilled, but in the end, he agreed. He knows that he needs help.”

“And you want me to help him with Transfiguration.” Albus concluded and when she nodded, he frowned.

“He's not that bad. It's just that he's too shy. And his insecurity is making everything even more difficult for him.”

Albus already knew his answer to her question before he'd given it. “If Finn wants my help, he should speak to me personally.” He said slowly and her expression turned sad. Apparently, she understood his words as a no. “I can't help him when I don't know where his weak points are. And I'm sure we can figure something out.” He smiled warmly and for a few moments, Madeleine just stared at him. 

Then a wide smile appeared on her lips and she squealed. “Thank you, Professor Dumbledore! I'm going to speak to him right now!” She declared loudly, but Albus stopped her before she could leave the empty classroom.

“Don't tell anyone else about this, please.”

“I promise.” She nodded fiercely and he knew that she would keep this conversation to herself. Mostly because it wouldn't be good for Finn.

When Albus returned to the teacher's table, Gellert was looking at him curiously and Albus told him the whole story. Without talking, of course. By now, they could communicate without words effortlessly.

Gellert grinned once Albus finished his explanation. “You're too nice, love. It's no surprise that the students love you.”

Albus shrugged. “I bet you would have done the same.”

“I would.” Gellert agreed immediately. “But that doesn't change that you're a very brilliant person.”

“You too, Gel.” Albus whispered back and smiled at him.

* * *

Later that evening, they were in Albus' quarters together. They didn't even need to discuss that they would spend most their time there. Luckily, Gellert's own rooms weren't that far away, so he could come over without being seen. Especially at night.

“So tell me about your first week.” Albus whispered and sat down on the bed next to Gellert.

He raised his eyebrows. “I already told you everything. What else do you want to know?”

Albus chuckled. It was true, Gellert had told him nearly everything that happened in his first lessons. “How are you feeling about all this? From your stories, I had the impression that you like teaching.”

“It's still so strange that so many young people listen to what I have to say.” Gellert sounded amazed, something Albus had heard several times since they'd come to the school together.

“You should be used to that. After all, you taught Ariana.” Albus noted.

“ _You_ taught Ariana. I was simply helping.” Gellert muttered and smiled slightly. He reached out for Albus and pulled him closer.

“That's not true.” Albus argued and chuckled when Gellert wrapped his arms around him tightly. “We both did our part.”

“If you say so.” Gellert began to place kisses on Albus' neck.

“I bet you'll be a good teacher.” Albus continued, trying not to get distracted by Gellert's actions. “I heard a few students talking about your first lesson the other day. They were really enthusiastic.”

“You helped me to plan that.” Gellert reminded him softly.

“But it was your idea.” He insisted. “I only helped with the procedure.”

Somehow, Albus knew that Gellert rolled his eyes now. “In the past two years, I've heard so many stories about Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons from you, it shouldn't be a surprise that I have ideas.”

“Doesn't change the fact that you'll do a good job.” Albus whispered and turned around to face Gellert. When he saw the soft smile on his lips, his heart began to beat faster. Even after all this time Gellert still had this effect on him.

Albus leaned forward and kissed him softly. However, the kiss turned more passionate soon. When Gellert began to unbutton his shirt, Albus sighed contentedly. “I love you.” He whispered between the kisses.

“I love you too, Albus.” Gellert muttered and his hands wandered to Albus' trousers.

Just in that moment, a knock on the door echoed through the room. Both Albus and Gellert froze in their positions and looked at each other wide-eyed. In the past two years, this happened before on a few occasions, but it still managed to surprise them.

“I'll see who it is.” Albus muttered and searched for a robe so he didn't have to button up his shirt again. When he was decent, he crossed the room and opened the door.

A young, nervous-looking student was standing in front of him. Albus knew him from one of his lessons, but right now he couldn't remember his name. He only knew that he was from Hufflepuff, his scarf confirmed this.

“I'm sorry to disturb you, Professor Dumbledore.” The boy stuttered. “But this letter for you arrived and I was told to give it to you.”

He held out a small piece of paper and Albus took it. Who was writing to him now? And why did the owl arrive in the middle of the night?

He smiled at the boy. “Thank you very much. And have a good night.”

“Good night, sir.” He couldn't leave fast enough and Albus listened to his footsteps for a few more moments before he closed the door again. When he turned around, he saw that Gellert had left his bedroom and was leaning on the doorframe to the living room now.

“A letter?” He asked in surprise when he saw the paper in Albus' hand.

He nodded. “Though I don't know who's writing now.”

“Only one way to find out.” Gellert said simply and sat down on the small couch.

Albus sat down next to him and opened the letter slowly. Next to his name, the envelope didn't say anything else. When he saw who'd written the letter, he grinned. “It's from Nicholas.”

“Flamel?” Gellert moved closer to look at the paper as well.

“He's happy for us.” Albus whispered when he'd read the first half of the letter.

“And he wants us to visit around Christmas.” Gellert added thoughtfully.

“Sounds good.” Albus muttered while is eyes were already wandering over the other half. Then he inhaled sharply.

_Now to the bad news. When you were staying with us, you mentioned the Dark Arts and eastern Europe a few times. And I promised to keep my eyes and ears open to possible news. Now I have heard something quite disturbing. It might just be a rumour, but I am not so sure. Apparently, a young couple has been attacked close to Durmstrang Institute. By people who have studied there until a few years ago. They knew each other, so they could identify the attackers. And a name has made me suspicious. One of the attackers should be called Dimitri. I have heard you two mention that name a few times. I thought that you might be interested in those news. It could not be proven who has attacked the young couple. It was said that they were too shocked by the attack and confused them with people they knew._

_I do not know if this is of any use to you, but I needed to tell you this. Do not do anything stupid. Keep calm and wait until things are clearer. It is of no use to act hastily now. I will continue gathering information. Stay safe! And enjoy your time at Hogwarts._

_Best wishes_

_Nicholas Flamel_

When they'd finished reading the letter, Albus and Gellert looked at each other silently. Albus had a dark feeling about this and from the look on Gellert's face, he knew that he thought the same.

“When they're attacking wizards now...” Albus muttered and Gellert nodded.

“If they really did that, they knew each other. The plans didn't include attacking other wizards.”

“Only if they could cross their plans.” Albus muttered darkly and when Gellert nodded again, he sighed. “Of course no one could identify the attackers.”

“Saying they were confused because of the attack is clever.” Gellert agreed.

Albus looked at the letter in his hands again. “Seems like we have to keep waiting.”

“I hate that.” He grumbled.

Albus smiled slightly. “I know you do. But there's nothing else we can do.”

“I know.” Gellert sighed.

“We can write a reply tomorrow.” He placed the letter on the table and stood up. “Now there's something I'd rather do.” He held out his hand and pulled Gellert towards the bed.

* * *

“I told you that you shouldn't worry, Gel.” Ariana said with a satisfied grin on her lips. It was Sunday afternoon and they'd gone to Hogsmeade to see Ariana and Aberforth. In the past year, the Hog's Head had become a very popular inn in Hogsmeade. It wasn't as crowded as the Three Broomsticks, but they were getting there.

“And I said the same.” Albus added with a wide smile.

Gellert rolled his eyes. “You're insufferable.”

“You love us.” Ariana argued.

Now Gellert sighed. “I do.” He looked around carefully and when he noticed that no one was looking, he kissed Albus on the cheek. “And it's really great, I could really get used to that.”

“I bet you're both awesome teachers.” The smile on Ariana's lips faded. “Sadly, I'll never get to see that.”

“You would be incredibly bored by our lessons.” Albus argued immediately. “After all, you already know all those things.”

“And you've got the best private teachers.” Gellert added and winked at her. “The other students would be very jealous if they knew that.”

Their attempt to cheer her up seemed to work. The smile returned to her lips and she chuckled. And Ariana even blushed. “I'm sure I would never get bored by your lessons. There's still so much I need to learn.”

“And we're doing our best to help you with that.” Albus replied.

“You've only got time on the weekends. And not even every week.”

“Every other day, Aberforth is helping you.” He reminded her.

“It's different with you.” Ariana muttered sheepishly.

“Soon, we won't be able to teach you anything new anymore.” Gellert threw in. In the past year before he'd started to work at Hogwarts as a teacher, Gellert had lived with Ariana and Aberforth. Well, in the same building, which meant that they saw each other nearly every day. And then he'd taught Ariana when Aberforth was busy. In this time, Ariana had made very much progress. She was a fast learner.

“And then you can decide what you want to do in your future.” Albus hoped that this would distract her, but now her expression was thoughtful.

“I don't know.” She sighed.

“You don't have to know it yet.” He tried to cheer her up again. “There's still so much time.”

“How's Snowflake?” Gellert said suddenly and Albus glanced at him from the corners of his eyes. When he noticed Albus' look, Gellert grinned.

This attempt to change the subject seemed to work. Because suddenly, Ariana couldn't stop talking about her cat anymore.


	23. The Calm Before The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter! I have good and bad news. The good ones: we've reached the point at which I'm writing just now, so the story is up to date. The bad ones: I can't post a new chapter per day anymore, so you'll have to wait until I've written something new. Since there will be many changes in my life soon, I can't say when the next chapter of this will be up. Of course I'll try to continue writing as soon as possible! However, I've also other stories that are waiting for an update. I hope you can be patient with me! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

“Until next week, I want you to write me an assay about the Unforgivable Curses and why you should never use them.” Gellert declared loudly. It was the end of the last lesson on Friday and slowly, his students were getting restless. They wanted the weekend to start now, especially since there would be a Quidditch match. Gryffindor against Slytherin. It was the match of the year. Everyone was waiting eagerly for it, even Albus and he wasn't that much of a Quidditch fan. However, his beloved was Head of Gryffindor and he had to support his house.

All around him, students were sighing, but Gellert just smiled. The seventh years were always taught as much as possible about the Unforgivable Curses and no one ever liked this. In his past two years as a teacher, he'd learned that. However, it was very important to him to make them learn as much as possible about them.

Something bad was going to come and everyone should be prepared as good as possible. After the attack on the wizards nearly two years ago, which Nicolas Flamel had informed them about, the situation in the east had been calm. Albus and Gellert suspected that Dimitri and his followers were plotting again and there was nothing they could do against it. It was still driving them crazy.

However, in the past weeks, they'd noticed something. The attacks on Muggles started again, even though they couldn't tell if Dimitri was responsible. As always, Albus and Gellert, as well as their contacts, were keeping an eye on everything. By now, a few others were suspicious as well.

Gellert started to collect his things and looked at the clock. He wanted to meet Albus outside. It was a very warm day and the summer would be there soon. Which also meant that the year at Hogwarts would end again. His second year as teacher for Defence Against the Dark Arts. It was incredible how fast the time passed now that he had a real purpose in life.

Everything in his life was perfect. He had the most amazing man by his side and loved him with all his heart. Even after so many years, it still surprised him that Albus loved him as well. Albus' family was still living in Hogsmeade, even if Ariana was making further studies concerning herbology. That meant that she was spending time in different regions of the country as well. One of Albus' friends was teaching her. By now, no one noticed anymore that she wasn't taught at Hogwarts. Ariana was able to control her magic just like everyone else and Gellert hadn't been surprised to see that she was nearly as skilled as her oldest brother. She wanted to be a healer one day and they all encouraged her to follow her dreams. Even Aberforth, who was still owner of the Hog's Head Inn.

Gellert's aunt was still living at Godric's Hollow. He and Albus visited her regularly and if they did, they lived in the house of the Dumbledore's. They had kept it, even f it was empty most of the time. Then, Bathilda took care of it.

By now, she had nearly finished her new book. _Hogwarts: A History_. Albus and Gellert had helped her with research very much and it was amazing how many things they'd found out about the castle. Of course there were far more secrets they didn't find yet, and Gellert doubted that anyone would know every secret this building had.

When he left the classroom and locked the door behind him, he breathed a sigh of relief. This week had been pretty exhausting. The exams were getting closer and as always, the students wouldn't stop asking questions. He'd mentioned this to Albus the other night and his love had just grinned. “You'll get used to it.” It didn't surprise Gellert that those questions didn't bother Albus at all. He was far too patient.

“Ah, Gellert, it's good to see you!” A voice behind him said and Gellert didn't have to turn around to see who it was.

“Hello Minerva.” He turned around and smiled at her. Minerva McGonagall had started teaching this year. She was the youngest teacher Hogwarts ever had, even younger than Albus when he started teaching, but so far, she was doing a very good job. She was teaching Charms and the students loved her, even if she was already very strict. “Did you have a nice week or are your students just as nervous as mine because of the upcoming exams?”

She laughed. “They are afraid that my tasks won't be solvable, I fear.” Minerva was smiling while saying this. Even if she was strict, she had a good heart.

“Your first year and you have already a reputation.” Gellert grinned.

“Well, the posts for the two most popular teachers were already taken, so I had to look for something else.” She noted.

“There's only one favourite of the students, and we both know it's not me.” Gellert corrected her firmly.

“I think Albus wouldn't agree with you concerning this.” Minerva said. “And the students love you as well.”

“I'm not as kind as Albus.” It was true, Gellert was stricter, but to his surprise, the students liked him anyway.

“The children see you as a team.” She noted. “Which isn't a surprise since you spend every free minute together.”

“He's my best friend.” It was true, Albus was his best friend, but at the same time so much more.

“I think we both know that he's more than that.” Minerva was talking quietly now and at her words, Gellert looked around automatically to make sure that no one else was close by. Luckily, they were alone in the corridor.

“What do you mean?” He frowned at her, trying to sound clueless.

“I'm not blind. I know that you love each other.” She looked around as well. “Don't worry, I think no one else noticed it. You're good at hiding your feelings.”

He stared at her. Should he deny it or tell her the truth? He knew that Albus liked Minerva very much, but shouldn't they decide this together? When she raised her eyebrows slowly, Gellert knew that he couldn't lie to her. She wouldn't believe him anyway. “How did you know?”

“I've seen the way you look at each other. And maybe I've caught you once or twice when you were sneaking to his room at night.” At this, she grinned.

Gellert rolled his eyes. “Just because you're an Animagus, you can't just spy on people.”

“You didn't try to hide.” She said simply. “I was just going for a walk.”

“At night. As a cat.” He snorted. “Nice try.”

“I won't tell anyone.” Minerva promised. “In fact, I'm happy for you.”

Gellert still wasn't feeling comfortable, but he forced a smile on his lips. “Thank you. I bet Albus won't be surprised when I tell him that you know?”

She shrugged. “He's very attentive. And sometimes, it feels like he could look directly into someone's head.” He could, but he would never do that. Albus was just good with people.

“Will you be at the Quidditch match tomorrow?” He decided to change the subject now.

She nodded. “Of course.” When she grinned, she looked even younger. “I hope Gryffindor will win. Otherwise, I might lose a bet.”

“They will. I've watched them practicing, the team is really good.”

Minerva chuckled. “I think we'll come back to that. Maybe we could go out for a drink after the match? Of course only if Albus will also be fine with it.”

“I'll talk to him.” Gellert said. “And now I've really got to leave, he's waiting for me.”

“Have fun with your date.” She grinned, but suddenly, it was replaced by a frown. “You look so serious sometimes, there's something going on, isn't it?”

He raised his eyebrows. “I don't know what you mean.”

“I've seen Albus reading a newspaper from Eastern Europe the other day at breakfast. You're looking for something. And you always get letters from different parts of the world.” Why did that woman had to be so attentive?

“Is it wrong to inform yourself about the events in the world?” He asked more coldly than planned.

Minerva sighed. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. This is none of my business, I know.” She smiled apologetically. “Just let me know when I can help you.” Without another word, she turned around and left him alone in the hallway.

Gellert stared after her for a few moments, thinking of the conversation again. Then he left the castle to look for Albus. He found him sitting under a tree close to the lake, looking at the water thoughtfully. When Gellert approached him, he turned his head and smiled. However, it was replaced by a frown quickly.

“What's going on, love? You look troubled.” He asked, concern evident in his voice.

Gellert sat down next to him and took his hand, hidden under their cloaks. “I've just had a nice conversation with Minerva.”

Albus didn't look surprised. “She knows about us, doesn't she?”

“How did you know?” Gellert raised his eyebrows.

“She's been hinting something the other day, though I wasn't sure if I'd understood her correctly.” Albus explained.

“You and not understanding something correctly?”

Albus chuckled. “It was the day someone nearly blew up the Hufflepuff table in the great hall. I got distracted.”

Gellert nodded slowly. “Ah, I remember that. I've heard that it was quite spectacular. What a shame that I missed it.”

Instead of an answer, Albus showed him a mental image about said event. Gellert laughed. “Wow, that was close.”

“They still get detention.” Albus nodded. “And I think it will last for the rest of the school year.”

“That's good. People might get hurt if that happens again.”

“So what did Minerva say?” Albus changed the subject.

In short words, Gellert told him about the conversation. He also mentioned the last part of her being suspicious because of all the letters.

Albus looked thoughtful. “She notices very much. However, I trust that she won't tell anyone else about us.”

“You like her.” Gellert noted.

Albus smiled. “Ah, my love, but you like her as well, or am I wrong?”

Albus was right. Gellert really liked Minerva McGonagall. She was honest and didn't mind saying her opinion, even if others might not like it. It set her apart from most other people.

“Do we know anything new yet?” He asked curiously, knowing that an owl had arrived for Albus today.

“Just a letter from Ariana.” Albus answered. “Her education will go into the next phase soon and then she'll be able to do an internship at St. Mungo's.”

Gellert grinned. “That's great. How did you manage to do that?”

Albus laughed. “It wasn't me. She asked herself and they agreed to take her immediately.”

“Because of herself or the last name?”

At this, Albus stared at him. “What do you mean?”

“You're getting famous, love.” Gellert said simply and squeezed his hand. “It is known all over the country how brilliant you are.”

“I don't want to be famous.” Albus sighed.

“But you are.” He stated. “So stop complaining.” He would have loved to kiss Albus now, but it wasn't possible. It was far too crowded outside.

Of course Albus knew about his intentions and grinned. “Shall we go to my quarters?”

Instead of answering, Gellert pulled him to his feet.

* * *

The Quidditch match was a full success for Gryffindor. They won the last match of the year and could defend their title. After that, there was a big party in the Gryffindor common room. The fact that one of the players got injured because he fell off his broom also couldn't change the mood. Luckily, Albus had reacted fast and lessened the fall with a spell, so the boy only had bruises instead of broken bones. In that moment, it had taken all of Gellert's strength not to grab and kiss Albus right in front of the entire school.

After the match, they went to Hogsmeade with Minerva and some other teachers. They considered going to the Three Broomsticks, but ended up in the Hog's Head. Ever since Aberforth owned it, it was a really nice place and many people went there. Ariana had decorated the Inn and even Gellert had to admit that it looked quite beautiful in there.

Luckily, Minerva didn't mention the conversation with Gellert again. Instead, they talked about the school year, teaching and students, as well as their plans for the holidays. When Gellert mentioned that his aunt was writing a book about Hogwarts, all the attention was focused on it and soon, they were all discussing the secrets of the castle.

Albus and Gellert didn't have many plans for the holidays yet. They wanted to visit Nicolas Flamel in Paris and go to Godric's Hollow, but next to that, they just wanted to relax. And keep an eye on the events in the world, of course. Maybe also do some research on the Deathly Hallows since they were both still interested in them, even if it wasn't an obsession anymore.

Sooner than expected, the exams at Hogwarts were over and the school year ended. Gryffindor won the House Cup and Albus was very proud of his students. Then Professor Dippet held the last speech of the year and the students prepared to go home the next day.

Albus and Gellert stayed at Hogwarts a little longer, enjoying the time in the castle without all the students, but then they also had to leave. As always, the holidays passed far too fast. They enjoyed their time together and sometimes, Gellert wished that he could just tell the world that Albus was his. He would have loved to marry him someday.

Far too soon, the next year at Hogwarts began. Albus and Gellert arrived at the school two weeks earlier and began to prepare everything for their lessons. Then the students arrived and the first years walked into the Great Hall for the first time, looking at everything with amazement in their eyes.

That's when Gellert saw him for the first time. He was much younger than in his dreams, but he recognized him anyway. A small, shy looking boy with red hair and freckles. When he stiffened, Albus followed his gaze and Gellert could see from the look on his face that Albus also knew whom he was seeing there. Under the table, he squeezed Gellert's hand.

The boy was called Newt Scamander and he was sorted to Hufflepuff.

In this moment, Gellert knew that the events he'd been dreaming of for years now were about to start.

He didn't follow the speech of Headmaster Dippet, he was too lost in thoughts for that. He saw Newt Scamander when he was older, walking through an unknown city with a suitcase. Himself and Albus, standing side by side, their wands raised. And Albus lying on the ground, covered in blood, and Dimitri hovering over him, a wide smile on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soon, it will get more exciting! Let me know what you think!


	24. Newt Scamander

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter, I hope you like it! Please let me know what you think, that would be awesome! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Newt Scamander was really a special boy. Albus had known it the moment he first laid eyes on him, but soon, it became more and more obvious. He was also _different_ than the other boys and girls, which didn't always make his life easier.

Albus and Gellert watched him grow up in silence, but they kept a close look on all his steps. Because they both knew that he would be important someday. Not in the next years, but when he was a grown man.

Newt was a shy boy and he didn't have many friends. In fact, he preferred being around animals than people. Gellert didn't understand it and saw it as a weakness, but Albus had to smile. Somehow, he knew that it would be important in their future.

Of course it wasn't easy for him to watch that Newt was bullied by the other children, but there wasn't much Albus could do about it. He tried to talk to Newt as often as possible and helped him in their lessons (Gellert did the same), but otherwise, he could just watch. Gellert always said that Newt would have to learn to deal with those things by himself and that he would get it someday.

As the years passed, it was obvious that he wouldn't. He was dealing with magical creatures more and more, but never with people. Well, for one exception. Her name was Leta Lestrange and she was a real troublemaker. Gellert had found out that her family consisted only of pure-blood witches and wizards and for them, that was the most important thing. It was also rumoured that they had a tendency to be drawn to the Dark Arts, but no one could prove it.

To Albus, Leta was just a girl who liked to do stupid things. However, there had also been a few incidents when she hexed her fellow students and they ended up in the hospital wing... Especially Minerva didn't like Leta at all. And Gellert was suspicious of her, he even ordered her detention a few times.

Newt also had an older brother, Theseus. He was nearly ten years older and Albus remembered him vaguely. He'd been in one of his lessons in his first years as a teacher. However, Theseus had always been very calm and rule-obsessed. A normal, inconspicuous student. They found out that he wanted to work for the Ministry in the future.

All in all, Newt Scamander had a pretty calm time at Hogwarts. Albus always suspected that the boy was lonely, but he wasn't so sure. When he saw him with his creatures, there was this peaceful look on Newt's face and Albus knew that he would be alright. He even talked to him about the creatures sometimes. There were days when Albus liked to walk through the grounds alone and on some of those occasions, he met Newt.

Like a beautiful, but cold winter morning in Newt's fourth year at Hogwarts. Gellert was still asleep and tired from the past day (and their activities at night), so Albus had decided to go on a walk before the first lesson alone. When he got close to the Forbidden Forest, he heard a voice and recognized Newt. The boy was kneeling in the grass, not too far away from a few trees.

Albus was curious and approached him slowly, careful not to startle him. Sometimes, he assumed that it wasn't easy for Newt to deal with people. When he got closer, the young student noticed him and waved with a smile.

“What are you doing out here this early in the morning, Mr. Scamander?” Albus asked politely and smiled. He couldn't keep the curiosity from his voice. He noticed that Newt was holding something in his hands and when he got a closer look, he realized that it were Galleons. “And what are you doing with the money, if I might ask?”

“Good morning, Professor Dumbledore.” Newt greeted him and chuckled sheepishly. “I couldn't sleep anymore, so I thought that I could also go outside before the lessons start.” His gaze wandered to a few holes in the ground.

“I assume that something caught your attention, then?” Albus raised his eyebrows.

Newt nodded hesitantly. “The winter is coming soon and it will get cold.” He gestured at the holes. “Yesterday evening, I saw something here. It's a Niffler. I know that they don't like the cold and thought that I could help him.”

Albus smiled. “So that's why you have the coins? To attract him?”

Newt's face lit up when he saw Albus' reaction to this. “That's right, Professor! Niffler's love shiny things. This one is still very young, so I hoped it would work.”

Albus grinned and knelt down next to him. “Well, then let us try if we can lure him out of his hole.”

Newt's eyes widened in surprise. “You want to help me with this, Professor?”

“Why not? Since we're both here now, we can also do it together.” He replied calmly.

An hour later, they were on their way back to the castle, the sleeping baby Niffler curled up in Newt's arms. It was true, it was a very young creature. Newt fell in love with it immediately. As did Albus, even if he would never admit it.

When Albus had suggested to take him back to the castle, Newt had stared at him. “I can keep him?” Officially, it wasn't allowed to keep more than one animal in the castle. Those included owls, cats, frogs or other small animals. Everyone knew that Newt had far more than that and none of the allowed animals, but no one ever mentioned it. Secretly, the teachers all liked the boy and didn't want to do him any harm.

That's why Albus and Newt were looking for a safe place for the Niffler to stay now. And for something to eat, he must be hungry. Luckily, Albus knew the house elves in the kitchen and could get the poor creature some milk. In the end, Newt even showed him his secret place where he kept the animals. Albus felt honoured that the boy trusted him like this.

“I won't tell anyone, I promise.” Albus said once the Niffler was asleep in a small nest.

“Thank you, Professor Dumbledore.” Newt looked relieved.

“You have to take good care of them.” He noted. “It's a great responsibility.”

Newt nodded eagerly. “I know. But I love them all and I know that I can do it!”

Albus chuckled. “That' good, my boy.” He looked at his watch. “Maybe we should go to the Great Hall, otherwise we might miss breakfast.” He looked at the sleeping Niffler. “Did you leave him the Galleons?”

Newt nodded. “Though I'm not sure if those few will keep him here.”

Albus grinned. “Well, then let's see what I have.” Next to a few Galleons, he also had a small golden chain in his pocket. He wasn't sure why anymore, he'd used it for a lesson the previous school year and had forgotten it in his teaching robes. “Would that be enough for now?”

“I can't take this, Professor. It's too much.”

Albus placed the things next to the Niffler. “You can give them back to me at the end of your seventh year when you'll leave the school together with our friend here.” Albus smiled mischievously. “Who knows, maybe I'll visit you two again soon?”

Newt couldn't hide his excitement. But then he hesitated. “Will you also bring Professor Grindelwald?”

“Only if you allow me to. Otherwise, I won't tell a single soul about your secret. Not even Professor Grindelwald.” Albus said seriously.

Newt relaxed again. “Alright. I think you can tell him then. I like him, he's always so nice. Even if some of the others don't think so.”

“Is he a strict teacher?” Albus asked in amusement when they were walking to the Great Hall.

“Some say so, but I don't.” Newt explained. “He always helps me when something doesn't work.”

Albus smiled. “Of course he does.”

When they entered the Great Hall, which was already filled with people having breakfast, Albus could feel Gellert's eyes on him immediately. Even after all those years together, they were still drawn to each other that much.

He smiled at Newt. “Now go and have breakfast. We'll see each other again this afternoon.” He winked. “Try to remember everything I told you last week. It's going to be important.”

Newt nodded eagerly. “I will, Professor!”

Albus ignored the curious glances of the other students and walked to the teacher's table where he sat down between Gellert and Minerva. “Good morning.” He greeted them happily.

“Morning.” Gellert raised his eyebrows. “What was that about?”

Albus chuckled. “We met on a morning walk.”

Minerva glanced at him. “You really like that boy.” She noted before turning back to her newspaper.

Gellert leaned closer. “So what really happened?” He whispered so that only Albus could hear him.

“We rescued a Niffler together.” Albus whispered back and laughed at the surprise in Gellert's eyes. “Don't look so surprised, Gel.”

“I always knew that you also had a weakness for those creatures.” Gellert muttered, but his eyes were shining. “Can I see him?”

Albus nodded. “Newt said it's alright if I tell you. We can go there together someday.”

Gellert nodded, a satisfied smile on his lips. “You should eat now, Albus. The first lesson will start soon. We've already been wondering what took you so long.”

“Gellert only started to relax once you walked through that door.” Minerva threw in again. Now that they were speaking louder again, she could listen to their conversation.

Albus chuckled. “What did you think? That I'd fallen into the lake?”

“Something like that...” Gellert muttered and Albus squeezed his hand under the table. Ever since the bad dreams had started to intensify, Gellert was feeling restless when Albus wasn't with him. Because he always saw one image at night. Albus, covered in blood, lying to Dimitri's feet. He was dreaming of it for four years now and there was nothing Albus could do to help his love.

He tried to assure him that he would be alright and Dimitri wouldn't harm him, but Gellert didn't believe him. He thought that his dreams showed parts of the future. However, Albus knew that they could be wrong. After all, they also showed Albus and Gellert on opposing sides and it didn't become true as well. Maybe Gellert started to believe in them again because of Newt. After all, he'd seen him in his dreams and here he was.

In the past years, they'd been looking for more signs of Dimitri and there were more and more rumours about a Dark Wizard in the East. By now, Albus and Gellert had many contacts who helped them to gather more information. Among them were also a few Aurors, other employees of the Ministry of Magic, some wizards from the east Gellert knew from his time at Durmstrang, and Nicolas Flamel, who had many contacts himself. They were all sure that Dimitri was behind all the attacks on Muggles and other wizards. Slowly, they started to prepare for a war.

However, it would still take more years until they had the final prove that Dimitri was behind all this.

* * *

“I'm so proud of you, Ariana!” Albus exclaimed and hugged his sister tightly.

“We both are.” Gellert corrected him firmly and wrapped his arms around her as well. “We knew that you could do it.”

“Healer Ariana.” Albus said proudly. “That sounds amazing!”

“It does.” Aberforth joined the conversation. “She has worked very hard for it.”

Ariana rolled her eyes. “Don't praise me like that, Ab.” She muttered. “I would have never been able to do all this without you, Albus. And you, of course, Gellert.”

Albus and Gellert exchanged a smile. “You just needed a little help, everything else you did on your own.” Albus said simply.

“You know it's not true.” For a few moments, the sadness they didn't see on her face for years now returned. “Without you, I would have most probably killed someone in the end. Like...”

“We won't talk about this now!” Albus interrupted her softly. “We're here to celebrate, after all.”

“That's true.” Gellert nodded. “How's Snowflake?” After all those years, Ariana still had the cat they'd found in Bathilda's house.

“She's an old lady and sleeping most of the time.” Ariana explained, glad about the change of subject. “However, I'm planning on getting her a friend.”

“We've already been looking at cats recently.” Aberforth added. “Right after Ariana got told that she could work at St. Mungo's from now on.”

“I always told you that you can fulfill your dreams, Ari.” Albus whispered and couldn't stop himself from hugging his sister again.

“You did so too.” She replied. “I would have never believed that my brother and his boyfriend would be the most popular teacher's at Hogwarts one day. And next to that, you're also Head of Gryffindor, Albus.”

“And Gellert was offered being Head of Slytherin, but he declined.” Albus noted.

“I just don't want to take this responsibility now.” Gellert threw in and sighed. They'd discussed this several times by now. “Not when I fear that something bad is going to happen.”

“I know, love.” Albus kissed him. “It would have been interesting, though. The two of us as head of Gryffindor and Slytherin.”

“You like each other far too much for that.” Aberforth agreed. “Normally, those are destined to hate each other.”

“Maybe I should have accepted, then.” Gellert said thoughtfully. “As a sign that things also can change.”

Albus knew that he was referring to everything he'd changed in his life since they met for the first time. The Greater Good. He touched the necklace under his shirt absent-mindedly. Gellert noticed this and pulled him closer. Even years after he'd made the decision to change his life, Gellert didn't regret it a single time. Albus was so proud of him.

“So now let's eat and celebrate!” Aberforth announced loudly and soon, they were all laughing together and telling each other stories. Ariana about her time as a healer, Albus and Gellert about Hogwarts and Aberforth about his time at the Hog's Head, which was slowly getting the most popular inn at Hogsmeade.

* * *

“There are those rumours now...” Gellert said slowly and Albus looked up from the book he was reading. “The name Dimitri was mentioned a few times.”

“You think it's going to start soon?” He asked.

Gellert nodded. “People are talking about him now. One of my contacts even said that he didn't deny killing Muggles.” He breathed in deeply. “He wants a new world order, with wizards on top and everyone else below them.”

Albus took Gellert's hands and squeezed them. “We knew that all along, Gel.” He said softly. “And we will stop him.”

“He's searching for the Hallows, Albus.” Gellert whispered. “When he finds them, there's no way to stop him.”

“You mean when he finds the Elder Wand.” Albus corrected him. “Then we have to find it first.”

“We've been on this for years and we didn't find a single hint that could lead us to it.”

“Maybe we've done it all wrong.” Albus said thoughtfully. “Did you know that a certain Wandmaker claims to have the most powerful wand in the world? Nicolas told me this when we talked this morning.”

Gellert's eyes widened. “Who is it?” He demanded to know.

“He's called Gregorovitch.” Albus repeated the name Nicolas had told him.

“Mykew Gregorovitch?” Gellert asked incredulously.

“You know him?”

“I've heard of him. He makes the best wands in the east.” Gellert said in surprise. “ _He_ should have the Elder Wand?”

“Nicolas wasn't sure, but he always claims that no one can beat him.” Albus explained. “Would make sense, wouldn't it? That a Wandmaker knows about it?”

“Would be worth a try.” Gellert agreed, but his expression darkened. “When the news have already reached Nicolas in Paris, Dimitri will have heard it as well. I fear that he'll be there before we are.”

Albus sighed. “We can't just leave now.”

“I know.”

“Even if he would have the Elder Wand, we could still beat him. We're two, he's alone. And it's not like we don't know how to fight.” Albus tried to reassure him.

“I'm so afraid that something could happen to you.” Gellert whispered and pulled Albus closer. “I can't lose you, Albus.”

He breathed in shakily. “Do you think I could lose you, Gel? We'll win this fight, I'm sure of that.”

They stayed like this for some time, arms wrapped around each other tightly.

“We have to find out what he's planning.” Gellert stated.

Albus nodded. “Now that his name's mentioned, it will be easier to find out more.”

“I hope so. We've been waiting to get him for years now.”

“Somehow, I fear that it will take some more time.” Albus muttered. “He's careful.”

“Not anymore.” Gellert argued. “His name is mentioned.”

“What if he wants it?” Albus asked. “It could be part of the plan. You said that he craves fame.”

“I really hate all this.” Gellert complained.

“We have to be patient, my love.” Albus drew back and smiled at him. “It worked until now, so we'll manage. We can start making our own plans.”

“What else can we do than watch the events closely?” Gellert asked doubtfully.

“Nothing.” Albus agreed. “But once something happens, we're ready.” At this, he glanced at the clock. “When we're talking about ready...”

“We should leave, shouldn't we?” Gellert asked with a slight smile. “After all, we don't want to miss the graduation of your favourite student.”

“Of _our_ favourite.” Albus corrected him firmly. “I know that you like Newt as well. And his Niffler.” He winked at him.

Gellert chuckled. “You're impossible.”

“You love me.” Albus threw in.

His expression softened. “I do.”

Together, they went to the graduation ceremony of the seventh years. Today was Newt Scamander's last day at Hogwarts.


	25. The Wandmaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter! I hope you like it and please let me know what you think, that would be awesome! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

“We have to act fast. The Aurors will arrive soon and then there won't be a chance for you to look at this anymore. Actually, I'm not even allowed to show you this, but I think it's the best shot we have. The people here never do anything about those incidents, as they call it. They just make it look like nothing happened at all.” The man, Vladimir, grimaced. “And everyone who's seen it isn't allowed to speak of it anymore. It's infuriating! People are dying and they aren't doing anything!”

Albus and Gellert exchanged a look. Those things weren't new to them. In the past years, many so-called incidents happened in the East and no one was willing to speak of them. Or allowed to, as they heard now.

“The couple didn't have many friends?” Gellert asked now.

Vladimir shook his head. “They weren't living in the village but here, on this mountain. Does that look like they had friends?”

No, it didn't, Albus thought and buried his hands deep in the pockets of his cloak. Right now, he wished that he had something warmer to wear.

It had started like every Saturday morning at Hogwarts. Albus and Gellert had slept longer than usual and after breakfast in Albus' room they secretly shared for years now, they'd gone out for a walk. They were going to visit Ariana and Aberforth in the afternoon and the couple wanted to enjoy the weather first.

They were still keeping a close eye on the events in the world, just like they did for years by now. However, not many things happened. Of course there were more rumours about a dark wizard in Eastern Europe called Dimitri, but so far, no one had managed to catch him. He was getting more and more followers and tortured or killed everyone who spoke against him openly. And not to forget the attacks on Muggles that happened more and more often.

Nevertheless, Albus and Gellert didn't get a single chance to confront him. It seemed impossible to find him. That they were kind of famous by now didn't make it easier. Everyone had heard of the two brilliant teachers at Hogwarts and every time they appeared somewhere, it was known by others immediately. Maybe this also made it easier for Dimitri to avoid getting too close to them.

More than five years had passed since Newt Scamander's time at Hogwarts ended, but Albus was still in contact with him. He'd helped Newt to get a job at the Ministry in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and next to that, Newt was collecting information for a book now. He was travelling through the world in search for rare magical creatures. Sometimes, he visited Albus and Gellert at Hogwarts or they met him somewhere else. The last time they'd seen him had been in Hamburg where he'd been looking for a creature that preferred living in the water.

Right before Albus and Gellert wanted to leave for their visit at the Hog's Head, Gellert had received a message from one of his contacts in Eastern Europe. Vladimir. Two Muggles had been killed and there were signs of Dark Magic. Of course Albus and Gellert had agreed to come immediately.

Which was why they were standing in the mountains now and Albus was freezing. Gellert had urged him to leave without hesitation and Albus had just enough time to tell Ariana and Aberforth that they weren't coming. A change of clothes hadn't been on Gellert's mind then. But when Albus glanced at him, he saw that he was also shivering. It had been a warm day in England.

When they arrived at the small house, Vladimir turned to them again, a warning look on his face. “This won't be nice.”

“We can deal with that.” Gellert said simply, but when Vladimir turned around to open the door, he glanced at Albus.

Albus smiled at Gellert reassuringly. This wasn't going to scare him. He'd known for a long time that they would have to see horrible things to stop Dimitri. Before they entered the house, Gellert took Albus' hand and squeezed it.

Inside, it was dark and warm. Albus was relieved to be out of the cold weather and looked around curiously once his eyes got used to the dim light. There weren't many things in the small house. He thought that it had two rooms. They were in the living area now. A small table with two chairs, a cooking area and a shelf with some books. Nothing else.

“They're in the bedroom.” Vladimir's voice cut through the silence. His face was grim and Albus knew why. In the past years, he'd seen many things like this. He was Gellert's best contact. He was also an Auror which made it easy for him to get information even about cases he hadn't seen himself. However, he'd never had the chance to show them the place where something happened before. This time, he'd arrived here before his team. They were still busy somewhere else. That gave them the time to have a look at the crime scene now.

“Why didn't they defend themselves?” Albus asked once the shock of the two bodies had worn off a little bit. The woman was lying on the bed, her husband in front of her. It looked like he'd tried to protect her. He looked around for their wands, but couldn't see them.

“The wands aren't here, I've also been searching for them.” Vladimir threw in when Albus and Gellert started to look at everything more closely.

“Why would they take their wands?” Albus asked incredulously.

“This didn't happen before, did it?” Gellert added.

Vladimir shook his head. “No, never.” He pointed at the bodies. “They didn't even defend themselves.”

Now that he said it, Albus noticed it as well. He muttered a diagnosis spell. “The killing curse. And they've been tortured.”

“They knew something.” Gellert said. “Something that was important for him.” He was still looking at everything in the room closely. “Otherwise, he would have never come here. This couple lived in the middle of nowhere, far away from the village.” He glanced at Vladimir. “Are there wizards in the village?”

“No, not anymore.” He explained. “They've all moved to other towns in the past years. Those two were the only ones left.”

“So why didn't they leave as well?” Gellert muttered. Albus saw that something bothered him here.

“I'll have a look at the other room.” He offered. However, he didn't find anything there. He also looked at the books, but most of them didn't even have magical content. Only one and that was a book for children. _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_. Albus already wanted to turn away again, but then he stopped.

“Gellert?” He called.

“Yes?” He appeared in the doorway after a few seconds.

“Do people read t _he Tales of Beedle the Bard_ here?” Albus asked. As far as he knew, that book was only popular in England.

Gellert shook his head. “No. Before I moved to my aunt's place and saw that book in your house, I didn't even know it existed. Why do you ask?”

Albus pointed at the shelf. “It's the only book that wasn't written for Muggles.”

“Do they have children?” Gellert asked when Vladimir joined them.

“No. They couldn't get children, as far as I know.” Vladimir said with a frown. “Maybe the book was a present?”

“Only one way to find out.” Albus cast another diagnosis spell, but nothing happened. Then he took the book and looked at it more closely. Next to him, Gellert waved his wand to get some light. The book looked very old and like it had been read many times. Albus skipped through the pages, but he couldn't see anything of interest. It looked just like the version they had at home, with the only difference that this had more pictures on the pages. They looked like someone had drawn them.

“Maybe one of them got it from his or her childhood?” Vladimir suggested after some time.

“Can you find out if they have ancestors in Great Britain?” Albus asked and Vladimir nodded.

“It might take some time, though.”

“Won't be a problem.” Gellert replied absent-mindedly. When Albus reached a certain story, Gellert placed his finger on the first page. _The Tale of the Three Brothers._ Albus exchanged a look with him. Many years ago, back when they'd both been living at Godric's Hollow, they'd found out that this tale was connected to the Deathly Hallows. Just like those three brothers really seemed to exist, right in the place where Albus had been born.

Now that they'd reached this story, Albus turned the pages more slowly. However, they saw nothing unusual. He closed the book with a sigh. “Nothing.”

However, Gellert had seen something since he knelt down. He held up a small piece of paper. “This fell out of the book when you closed it.”

Albus' heart began to beat faster. Of course this didn't have to mean anything, but he couldn't stop his excitement. “What does it say?”

“ _I am grateful for your help. Without you, I would have never found it. It is good to know that other seekers are by my side. -G_ ” Gellert read and showed the paper to Albus and Vladimir. However, Albus saw in the last moment that he covered something with his thumb. A symbol.

“Who's G? And what does he mean with other seekers?” Vladimir asked slowly and frowned at them.

Albus and Gellert exchanged a look. Of course they both had an idea what this meant. And Albus also assumed that he knew who the mysterious _G_ was. However, he wasn't sure if they could tell Vladimir about this. After all, his presumptions were also based on rumours.

Gellert seemed to have the same doubts since he shrugged. “No idea.” He told Vladimir and actually sounded frustrated. 

“Then the book is useless.” Vladimir muttered. “I would like to know what happened here.”

“It's strange that the wands are missing.” Albus agreed to change the subject. 

“Maybe we'll find them somewhere.” Vladimir didn't sound very hopeful. “And I fear that you will have to leave now. My team will be here soon and if they see you, I'll be in lots of trouble.” 

“Thanks for showing us all this.” Gellert said with a smile when they left the house. 

“No problem. I know that you're our best chance to make all this stop. I'll write you a letter when I find out more. And when something else happens.” Vladimir shook their hands. 

“Thank you.” Albus said with a smile before they left. 

* * *

“What are you thinking?” Albus asked when they were back in their room at Hogwarts, drinking tea. 

Gellert sighed. “The same as you, I think.” He leaned back and wrapped an arm around Albus' shoulders to pull him closer. “They helped Gregorovitch to find the Elder Wand.” 

“If he meant that by finding it.” Albus noted. “And if G is really for Gregorovitch.” 

Gellert searched for something in his pocket and pulled out the piece of paper. In the light, it looked even older and more worn-off, like someone had folded and unfolded it too many times. Now Albus could see the symbol as well. “The Deathly Hallows.” He whispered and touched the necklace he was wearing under his clothes thoughtfully. 

“They helped him to find one of the Hallows.” Gellert nodded. “And I think it's the Elder Wand. The others are impossible to find.” 

“Maybe we should really look for Gregorovitch then.” Albus said thoughtfully. 

“I think I know where he lives.” Gellert smiled slightly. “One of my old friends could help me with that.” The way he said friends made it sound like an insult. However, in their search for information, Gellert had also contacted a few people he didn't like that much. Of course only the ones who seemed trustworthy. 

“Then Dimitri will also know it. If he's seen this paper, he'll know where to look for the Wand.” Albus muttered. 

“Wouldn't he have taken it if he'd seen it? Just like we did?” Gellert asked with a frown. 

“They could also have told him about it.” Albus noted. “He tortured them.” 

“We have to act fast.” He decided. 

“But will we really be able to talk to Gregorovitch? You know what happened the last time we tried this.” Albus reminded him. Right after Newt Scamander's graduation ceremony, they'd tried to look for Gregorovitch. However, they hadn't been able to find him first. When they did, he'd refused to speak to them and vanished again. Ever since, they didn't hear a single word about him anymore. 

“My friend was sure that he knows his hiding place.” Gellert emphasized. “Maybe we should have been more convincing when we'd talked to him the last time. Then _we_ could have the wand and there wouldn't be a chance that Dimitri gets it.” 

There was a frustrated look on Gellert's face now and Albus leaned closer to him. “You can't change the past, love.” He whispered. 

“I have to keep you safe. When Dimitri has the wand, there's no way that I can do that.” Gellert muttered unhappily. 

“We will defeat him together.” Albus said softly. “Stop worrying.” He took the cup from Gellert's hand and placed it on the table. “Let's go there tomorrow. It's Sunday so no one will miss us.” 

Gellert wanted to protest, but Albus cut him off with a kiss. Then he pushed Gellert back on the couch and straddled him. “Don't think of it anymore.” 

“Albus...” Gellert tried weakly, but he was already starting to unbutton his shirt. 

“Yes?” He asked innocently. 

“You'll be the death of me.” Finally, Gellert gave in with a sigh and let Albus make him forget about everything. 

* * *

Once they knew where to look for it, the house of Gregorovitch wasn't difficult to find. It was hidden in a forest far away from the next town. Albus doubted that anyone would find it by accident and the fact that there weren't even protective charms confirmed this. This or that something happened to the owner. 

“There's light behind one of the windows.” Gellert muttered and when Albus looked at it more closely, he saw it as well. 

“So someone's home.” He whispered. Together, they walked towards the house, both of their wands raised. However, nothing happened. No one attacked them. Everything was silent, even peaceful. 

“What will we do now? Just knock on the door?” Albus asked once they were close enough. 

“Why don't we just go in?” Gellert replied. 

“Or you could just go away again and leave me alone!” A loud voice from above shouted and they both reacted immediately. Albus raised his wand, ready to cast a protecting spell, while Gellert moved behind the next tree. “I've already been robbed, there's nothing more to get!” 

“We don't want to steal anything from you!” Albus said loudly and ignored Gellert's gestures that he should also search for a hiding place. “We are just here to talk, Mr. Gregorovitch!” 

“I also don't make wands anymore!” The man shouted. 

“We also don't want a wand. We are just here to talk.” Albus repeated calmly. “It would be very nice if we can come in, but we cal also leave again if you insist.” 

Slowly, the man leaned out of the window so they could see his face. Mykew Gregorovitch had a grim face with long, gray hair that framed it. He was holding onto the window frame with both hands and Albus noticed that he wasn't holding a wand. Slowly, he lowered his own, but was ready to raise it again. Now Gellert also left his hiding place and stopped next to Albus. “We only have a question, sir.” Gellert added politely. “We don't want to harm you.” 

After looking at them for some time, Gregorovitch sighed. “Alright, I'll open the door for you. But your wands stay in your pockets!” 

A minute later, they heard footsteps and the front door of the house was opened. Gregorovitch looked at them with crossed arms. He still didn't have a wand in his hands. “Who are you and what do you want?” However, he'd only finished his question when his eyes landed on Gellert and widened. Then he looked at Albus more closely and the tension seemed to vanish from his body. “Let me change the question. What do you want, Gellert Grindelwald and, I assume, Albus Dumbledore?” 

Albus and Gellert exchanged a look. “We're here to find out more about the robbery.” Gellert explained. 

After a few more seconds, Gregorovitch sighed. “Come in. Would you like tea?” 

They followed him into the house. “Tea would be nice, thank you.” Albus replied. 

Once they were in the kitchen, Gregorovitch gestured for them to sit down. “It was Dimitri, wasn't it?” Gellert asked once they were all seated with cups of tea in front of them. 

“Of course it was.” Gregorovitch muttered. “Threatened to kill me if I followed him.” He laughed dryly. “As if I'd be so stupid.” 

“And what did he steal?” Albus asked, even if they already knew the answer. 

“So the rumours that you're looking for him are true.” Gregorovitch ran a hand through his hair. “Don't look so surprised! It already made me suspicious that you were looking for me years ago. So was Dimitri, by the way. That's also why I went into hiding. And now you arrive here, only a day after he came to steal from me.” 

“Can we assume that he stole a certain wand from you?” Gellert asked. 

“You can.” Gregorovitch nodded. “I always knew that you were a seeker, Mr. Grindelwald. Especially after I heard that you placed the symbol of the Hallows at Durmstrang.” At this, his face lit up a bit. So the Hallows still excited him, in spite of everything that happened. 

“So Dimitri has the Elder Wand.” Albus muttered, knowing that they didn't have to hide it anymore. At least not here. 

Gregorovitch nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. This will make it more difficult to stop him.” 

“We will manage that.” Gellert said determinedly. 

“You have no idea what this wand can do. It is extraordinary.” Gregorovitch said seriously and Albus could hear sadness in his voice. 

“Do you know how Dimitri found out that you have it?” He asked. 

Gregorovitch laughed dryly. “Next to the fact that I couldn't stop myself from emphasizing that I have a very powerful wand for years?” He shook his head. “No.” 

Gellert asked if he knew the couple that was killed the previous day. At this, Gregorovitch paled. “Mia and Stig.” He muttered and closed his eyes. “So that's how he found me.” 

“You gave them the book. _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_.” Albus noted. 

“I did.” Gregorovitch nodded. “It's connected to the Hallows. But you already know that, I assume. After all, you're from Godric's Hollow.” 

“The Peverell Brothers.”

“Exactly.” He nodded. “Mia and Stig were also seekers. Her sister married someone in England. It's a very long story and I won't bother you with it. Let me just say that they gave me the last hint where to find it.” 

“Why didn't they look for it by themselves?” Gellert asked curiously. 

“They were a very peaceful couple. That's also why they chose to live separated from others. And both terribly curious.” He smiled slightly, though his eyes were still sad. “They would have never taken it. So they told me about. I really liked them.” 

“Is there any chance that you might know what Dimitri will do next?” Albus changed the subject. “We have to find and stop him.”

“We didn't talk that much.” Gregorovitch muttered and frowned. “But now that you say it, he mentioned something about America. That it would be only the first step in his long journey with the Elder Wand.”

Albus and Gellert exchanged a look. America could mean anything. It was a very big country. However, MACUSA was located in New York. Maybe they could find out something there. Or not at all since the Americans didn't want others to interfere in their business.

“I think that will help us.” Albus said in the end.

Gregorovitch sighed. “I wish I could tell you more.”

“It's fine.” Albus threw in quickly. “You've already helped us.”

“Please never mention my name again.” Gregorovitch said. “I had enough unbidden visitors for a lifetime.”

“We won't.” Gellert promised and Albus nodded in agreement.

* * *

“This is a horrible plan!” Gellert complained.

“It's a plan and that's what we need right now!” Albus argued. “Since you don't have better ideas, it's our only chance.”

“He will get caught the moment he leaves that ship.” He crossed his arms.

“He won't.” Albus said simply. “Newt is a very clever young man.”

“You can't just send him to America. We don't even know if Dimitri plans something there.”

“In your dream, you saw him in a New York subway tunnel. Together with Newt Scamander, two women and another man!” Albus ran a hand through his hair.

“But in my dream, Dimitri also escaped.” Gellert threw in. “You also know that not all of my dreams come true.”

“It's the best idea we have at the moment. And besides, Newt wrote me that the rescued Thunderbird has to be brought back to Arizona anyway.” He knew that this wasn't the perfect plan, or a plan at all, but he didn't have a better idea. Albus had been thinking about it for days now.

Gellert sighed. “We can't tell him about Dimitri yet. He might get caught by MACUSA.”

“I know.” Albus agreed. “But everyone here has heard the rumours by now. I am sure Newt also knows about him and how dangerous he is.”

Gellert closed his eyes. “So you want to say that we'll just send this young wizard with his suitcase full of magical creatures to the United States. Officially, he should rescue the Thunderbird and bring him back home. But secretly, we hope that he finds out more about Dimitri's doings there. Is that correct?”

Albus nodded. “That's the plan.”

“This will never work.” Gellert said thoughtfully, but his lips twitched.

“It will.” Albus said simply. “I have faith in Newt.”

Gellert chuckled. “I saw him grow up so don't blame me for being sceptical.”

“I just hope that nothing will happen to him.” Albus muttered. That was the only thing which bothered him about his plan. He liked Newt very much and would hate to see him get hurt.

“He'll be fine. He's not a bad wizard.” Gellert tried to calm him down. “So when will you tell him the news?”

“He'll be here in half an hour.” Albus said and grinned. “He brings the Niffler. Get some milk and hide the spoons.”


End file.
